Exhaust gas manipulation in SUV models
Federal Motor Transport Authority is investigating suspicions against BMW
January 23, 2024, 8:29 p.m
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BMW has so far gotten off lightly in the diesel emissions scandal. The Federal Motor Transport Authority is now investigating the suspicion of a prohibited defeat device in the SUV model X3. The car manufacturer confirms a hearing.
According to a report in the “Bild” newspaper, the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has started a hearing against BMW on suspicion of exhaust manipulation in the SUV model X3. According to “Bild”, an authority spokesman told the newspaper that there was suspicion of an inadmissible shutdown device in the engine control of an X3 with a two-liter diesel engine. The paper refers to internal files according to which the car emits less nitrogen oxides when the air conditioning is switched off. This is usually the case with laboratory tests.
How many vehicles were affected remained unclear in the “Bild” report. The newspaper further wrote that when asked about the report on the current proceedings, a BMW spokesman said that the hearing was still pending. Therefore, BMW will not comment in this context.
BMW contradicted the DUH’s allegations
In June, German Environmental Aid (DUH) accused the automobile company of manipulating emissions values. In some cases, tests showed that the limit values for nitrogen oxide emissions were exceeded 49 times. In the X3 model, the DUH saw evidence of a so-called thermal window, which is activated when outside temperatures are warm and cool.
BMW contradicted the allegations. “The DUH has repeated well-known allegations. Similar allegations have been clearly refuted in the past,” the company explained in June. In October, the environmental organization failed with a lawsuit against BMW. According to Bild, an insider explained that BMW had apparently been very clever, which is why it took so long to find something.
The diesel scandal in the German automotive industry has caused a stir in recent years. It began when BMW’s rival Volkswagen admitted in 2015, under pressure from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that it had manipulated diesel emissions values using software.