Volkswagen’s new EA 288 diesel engines don’t have defeat device

The company said it was now checking if EA288 engines with Euro 5 emissions standards are also equipped with the device, a spokesman said.

German auto giant Volkswagen steered clear of a fresh blow in its emissions-rigging scandal, saying that another type of diesel engine which had raised concerns was not fitted with software created to dupe testers, AFP reports.

Should the engines contain a so-called “defeat device”, this could substantially widen the number of vehicles affected. Once on the road, the cars would pump out as much as 40 times the allowed level of nitrogen oxides.

They were included in the original count of affected Volkswagen products issued by Environment Canada, which amounted to more than 100,000 cars.

That could add millions more to the number of affected vehicles, said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, head of the Center of Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The company responded by withdrawing the application for approval to sell the 2016 cars in the United States. The automaker said both variants of the current four-cylinder diesel engine, EA288, do not contain the software in question and will not be subject to recall.

Ironic coincidence about the uncovering of VW’s emission ruse: It was largely the work of a guy named John German of the worldwide Council on Clean Transportation who was trying to prove the cars really are “clean diesel”.

Many Volkswagen dealers in the USA are disappointed. Specifically, between September 17, 2015 and September 22, 2015, the price of Volkswagen’s ordinary ADRs plummeted over 33%, from a close of $38.03 per share on September 17, 2015 to $25.44 per share on September 22, 2015.

“But we are not getting anything from Volkswagen, so we don’t have anything to pass on to them”.

In treating a few emissions by recycling them, the engine would have placed less of a burden on the chemical system, and owners would not have had to refill a urea supply tank as often. The company said it had conducted the same tests and found no abnormalities and the independent TÜV testing agency had confirmed that the Zafira model complies with the relevant standards.

Kalafer is also anxious about the morale of his staff, who depend on good sales to get bonuses. The Company comprises 12 brands: Volkswagen passenger cars, Audi, SEAT, SKODA, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen commercial vehicles, Scania and MAN. It also wants to focus on its foremost development goals – which will mean greater emphasis on hybrids and full electric vehicles in its future planning.