Diesel emissions probe extended by EPA

EPA targets other manufacturers following Volkswagen diesel scandal

More than two dozen diesel car models manufactured by BMW, General Motors, Land Rover, Mercedes and Chrysler are being investigated following Volkswagen's rigging of emissions tests which currently extends to 11 million vehicles around the world.

The investigation is being carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – the US regulator that exposed Volkswagen in the current diesel emissions scandal. The regulator is aiming to determine whether the German manufacturer was alone in manipulating emissions tests or if the practice is more widespread in the industry. There has so far been no evidence that other manufacturers have tricked the system.

The models that are reportedly set to be investigated by the EPA include the BMW’s X3; Chrysler’s Grand Cherokee; GM’s Chevrolet Colorado; the Range Rover TDV6; and the Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTec.

The investigation is forcing Volkswagen to set aside £4.8 billion in an initial prediction of the potential costs as well as prompting the EPA to toughen and broaden emissions tests for all manufacturers in an effort to thwart similar activities.

In response to the Volkswagen diesel scandal, Dr. Martin Winterkorn, chief executive of Volkswagen AG, admitted he was personally sorry that the company had broken the trust of its customers and the public.

According to the EPA, Volkswagen diesels being sold in the US had devices in the engines that could detect when they were being tested, changing the performance accordingly to improve results.

Tougher emissions tests proposed by the EPA could increase engineering and validation costs for manufacturers and suppliers, who are now ensuring they have on-road test equipment that could be used to ensure compliance.

A recent report from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), which commissioned research that helped uncover the Volkswagen scandal, has discovered that vehicles from Volvo, Renault and Hyundai have also shown high emission levels in European tests designed to replicate on-road driving.

John German, one of the two co-leads on the US team of the ICCT, said: “We need to ask the question, is this happening in other countries and is this happening at other manufacturers? Some part of our reaction is not even understanding what has happened exactly."