Germany accuses Audi of cheating emission tests

Audi has been accused by the German Government for allegedly cheating emission tests. This is the first time that the luxury car maker has been accused under the emissions scandal in its home country.

The German Transport Ministry, in its studies has found that the affected models from Audi exhale around twice the permitted limit of nitrogen oxides in real world conditions when the steering is turned more than 15 degrees. The ministry has ordered Audi to issue a recall of its top-end models - the A7 and A8, which have been built between 2009 and 2013. A total of 24,000 units of the said carlines fall in this category globally, half of which have been sold in Germany.

This is the first time that Audi's flagship A8 carline has been included in the list of affected vehicles. In the United States, the 3.0-litre diesel engine equipped vehicles affected by the emission scandal include the Audi A6, A7 and Q7, along with other VW and Porsche models. VW had also earlier claimed that the cheat software found on its EA 189 diesel engine did not violate any European laws.

The German Transport Ministry has given Audi a deadline of June 12 to suggest a comprehensive plan outline that the automaker will follow to refit the affected models and thus make them compliant with the country's emission ratings.

Source: Reuters