These are words that BMW CEO Harald Krüger will probably regret to have publicly stated: “We did not manipulate the vehicles diesel “They are clean.” That said the chairman of the Bavarian automaker last fall at the International Motor Show IAA, and he added in the chest tone of conviction even more: “There is no defeat device in the BMW Group. ”
Only last week, BMW reaffirmed its attitude once again. There it was Kraftfahrtbundesamt (KBA) relieved the Bavarian manufacturer of the accusation of exhaust manipulation in a model of the 3 Series , BMW development chief Klaus Fröhlich was quoted as saying: “As a general rule: BMW Group vehicles are not tampered with – our diesel engines are clean, and the public and politics, and above all our customers and employees, can rely on that.”
But both the eloquent manager and his development chief seem to have been wrong. Because according to information of SPIEGEL, the Group has admitted to the Federal Motor Vehicle Office (KBA) to have installed a software in two models, which manipulates the exhaust system of diesel. Such a software is just in the luxury model, the BMW 7 Series, and also in diesels from the 5 Series. BMW explained on request that these are vehicles with a six-cylinder engine whose exhaust system is “not working optimally” by the software.
Random find of the KBA
This affects 11,000 vehicles alone in the German market, which correspond to the Euronorm 6, but are no longer produced. BMW is currently examining whether this software is also on vehicles that have been exported abroad. The concern of the car maker is mainly the US market, where threatening fines. However, the software, so a BMW spokesman told the SPIEGEL, after already been approved by the KBA “mistakenly” been. “We do not consider this software as a ‘defeat device’,” the company spokesperson continues.
The Bavarians have confirmed the use of the faulty software at a hearing on Thursday at the KBA in Flensburg. A 7-BMW should be noticed there in the context of the usual market surveillance, told the SPIEGEL. At the same time, the KBA randomly buys cars from dealers who are already registered and on the road. The suspicion aroused obviously the company itself, who had received news of the upcoming control message. “As a result, BMW was keen to carry out a service on the car before the test,” reports a public official.
In the Federal Ministry of Transport reacts angrily to the now granted by BMW matter. So far, one has taken protective of the Bavarian group. When Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) had alleged that significantly higher nitrogen oxide emissions had been measured with a diesel of the series of three at the end of last year, the KBA rejected this suspicion after its own investigations.
Especially spicy: BMW has so far in the exhaust scandal always complained about the role of the Saubermanns. In fact, the manufacturer drove compared to the competition in many models a higher technical effort. BMW used storage catalytic converter systems and so-called SCR catalytic converters (AdBlue) in parallel to purify the exhaust gases from nitrogen oxide and in many cases also performed better in road tests than the vehicles of the competition.
The ministry now has to decide whether to order an official recall or if BMW sends out a voluntary recall. BMW states that the KBA has been warned about the irregularities in the software of the car.