FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Volkswagen (VOWG.DE) engineers have told investigators that certain petrol engines in VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles can be used to manipulate emissions tests, Sunday paper Bild am Sonntag said.
FILE PHOTO: A Volkswagen logo is pictured at Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, April 22, 2016. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/File Photo
A spokesman for Volkswagen – the parent company of Audi and Porsche – said VW would not comment on an ongoing investigation, adding that the company in recent months had held intensive talks with the Federal Motor Transport Authority.
“There are no new circumstances here,” he said.
Gearboxes and software could be manipulated so that vehicles show lower levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and fuel consumption, Bild said, citing internal documents and witnesses statements.
The news, if confirmed, could add a new dimension to VW’s emissions scandal, which has cost the carmaker 27 billion euros ($31.3 billion) in penalties and fines for systematic manipulation of diesel-powered cars to mask excessive pollution levels.
In Europe, vehicles are taxed according to their levels of polluting CO2 emissions.
($1 = 0.8621 euros)
Reporting by Ed Taylor, writing by Vera Eckert, editing by Dale Hudson