German industry is not finished with the Dieselgate. Three and a half years after the start of the scandal of engines rigged at Volkswagen, the German government officially asked Monday explanations to Daimler-Mercedes, accused as its competitor of Wolfsburg, to have installed software engines distorting the tests of homologation.
As a matter of fact, suspicions already existed in the United States and in Europe on certain engine settings of the brand at Etoile – suspicions that even triggered last summer a voluntary update of some three million cars on the Old Continent . But this time, things are more precise. The KBA claims to have identified code lines detecting the authorities’ tests and, if necessary, changing the settings of the pollution control system under the Mercedes Vito utility hood. The German Federal Automobile Agency even demanded last week the recall of 6,000 of these machines.
“We will launch an in-depth exchange on these complex technical topics, with the aim of identifying the number of vehicles involved,” said German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer on Monday following an interview with Dieter Zetsche, the boss of Daimler-Mercedes. The latter has two weeks to meet the ministerial request and find a technical solution. In the meantime, the sale of the offending models is suspended. According to the German press, the manufacturer would risk a maximum recall of some 600,000 vehicles, including class C Mercedes.
For his part, Daimler says he wants to challenge the opinion of the KBA, even to go before the judges. Even if, at the same time, the manufacturer claims that he will make available an update of the software concerned. This regulates the operation of the SCR, an anti-NOx system. The manufacturer is suspected of manipulation since March 2017 by the Stuttgart public prosecutor. Two managers are even blamed.
Renault engines
In recent days, the German press has sometimes pointed the finger at Renault, recalling that the French group provided engines 1.6 liter diesel Euro 6 Vito. If Renault provides the blocks with their software, Thierry Bolloré, the managing director of the brand at Losange, still hammered two months ago at the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” that the settings were “always the responsibility of the manufacturer.” The fact remains that the Stuttgart prosecutor’s office contacted the French courts for the purposes of the investigation.