Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Found Cheating On Emissions, Says Germany

Emissions scandals have been popping up in various parts of the world for the past couple of years. Volkswagen was one of the major automotive players to be found guilty of using a software that gave inaccurate readings for the emissions being produced from its TDI series of engines.

According to Reuters, Germany’s transport ministry has requested the European Commission (a regulatory body of the European Union) to investigate the exhaust emissions test results of Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) vehicles for potential illegal manipulation devices. It was Germany’s motor vehicle authority, KBA, that began testing vehicles from various manufacturers after the country's home-grown automotive group VW was found guilty last year. Three FCA vehicles were tested for emissions test results and these were the Fiat 500X, Fiat Doblo and the Jeep Renegade.

Addressing the suspicion, a Fiat spokesperson countered by saying that the company’s cars conform to current emissions rules and do not contain defeat devices. The Commission, meanwhile, reiterated that it would be the responsibility of the Italian authorities to remedy any wrongdoings found. "It is first and foremost a dialogue between the two member states concerned, with an obligation to keep the Commission informed and the possibility for the Commission to facilitate a solution if no agreement can be found," the Commission said in a statement.

A source at the Italian infrastructure ministry, which includes the national motor vehicle authority, said that Italy had not received any communication from the German government regarding the matter. The source also shared that Italian tests had shown that Fiat 500 cars conformed to emissions regulations and did not contain cheating devices. However, there wasn’t any dialogue shared on the other cars in question.

Similar news had came from Japan recently when Mitsubishi was found producing cars with fake fuel-test results. The scam went bad to worse when the Japanese car firm accepted that it had been falsifying emission test results on its cars for over a quarter of a century. Back in 2014, South Korean carmaker Hyundai and American automotive manufacturer Ford were found guilty of forging fuel-efficiency test results on their cars and had to settle for hefty amounts, payable to both the customers and the regulatory bodies in the US.

It is unknown how the investigation, if initiated, will be taken forward by the European Commission. But with multiple such scandals coming into light and people becoming more aware about the deteriorating impact of car emissions on the air quality, it will be difficult for the auto industry to come out of it undamaged.

Source: Reuters