When Volkswagen finally settled for $14.7 billion and announced a buyback schedule for its scandalous TDIs, it probably thought, and hoped, that it was the beginning of the end of Dieselgate. But a new report suggests that the wound may be reopened. German weekly newspaper Bild am Sonntag and the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, are reporting that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) found new emissions-lowering software on an Audi this past summer. This time, it is related to carbon-dioxide emissions from both gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles. The TDI “defeat device” was designed to lower emissions results for nitrogen oxides.
According to the report, the violation was found on different Audis from the well-publicized Volkswagen cheater device used with the 3.0-liter TDI V-6 or the 2.0-liter TDI four-cylinder. Like that software, the newly discovered devices used programming to change emissions outputs when it was detected that the cars were undergoing testing.
Bild said that CARB found software that would recognize if the steering wheel was turning less than 15 degrees in either direction while in use. That would indicate that the vehicle was being tested. In response, the program would alter the way the automatic transmission shifted, adopting a more efficient driving mode. In the test results, it would show that the car was emitting less carbon dioxide than it did in normal use. When the wheel turned more than 15 degrees, this program would shut off. The Wall Street Journal story even claims that Audi management specifically detailed the defeats in meetings.
Bild said that the programming was not specific to one engine but was for Audis with an automatic transmission, meaning it was found on both diesel and gasoline models. Audi reportedly stopped using the software in May of this year.
Although VW has reached a settlement regarding cars with the 2.0-liter engine, an agreement has not been reached for the 3.0-liter. With the new information surfacing, this cut could go even deeper than previously thought.
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