BMW denies emission-rigging reports as share price plummets

MILAN/LONDON Sept 25 (Reuters) – European shares were higher on Friday, rebounding after testing 2015 lows in the previous session, as concern over the global economy eased and a sell-off of auto stocks began to slow.

BMW has denied reports in the German media that one of its models exceeded European Union emission limits.

With that in mind, could the Volkswagen emissions scandal go so far as to change people’s attitudes towards diesels? Diesel has been labelled by some as a “quick fix” to reduce Carbon dioxide output, and while its true substantially less of the greenhouse gas is produced by new diesels, studies show that they generate as much as four times more NOx and 22 times more particulates than petrol cars.

Volkswagen shares rose in morning trade, amid signs Volkswagen would name Matthias Mueller, head of its Porsche sports vehicle brand, as CEO.

Under the current procedures, inspectors measure pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and particulates in auto exhaust, using a test vehicle mounted on a stand, accelerating and decelerating at predetermined intervals.

“All the results indicate that this problem is not specific to VW“, Auto Bild quoted ICCT expert Peter Mock as saying.

“When it comes to our vehicles, there is no difference in the treatment of exhaust emissions whether they are on rollers (eg. test bench situation) or on the road”, BMW said.

The company also repeated that it does not manipulate or rig any tests on its cars.

The European Commission is urging all its member nations to investigate how cars perform on emissions tests and to determine whether they have software that turns on emissions control systems only when the vehicle is undergoing an official test, as the Volkswagen cars were found to do. “At the BMW group, there are no specific activities or technical provisions which influence the emissions recorded during the test mode”, said a spokesman. In Germany, a diesel-powered BMW X3 was tested as well and the results created quite a controversy of their own. It has lost about 40% since March.