Audi in the spotlight over emissions

Audi's top-selling model released excessive toxic diesel emissions in results from lab tests run by the European Commission and seen by Reuters, raising suspicions of wrongdoing at Volkswagen's luxury division. The results threaten to embroil Audi in the scandal that has engulfed the company since it admitted cheating US emissions tests with software to mask nitrogen oxides (NOx). The lab tests run by the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC) in August showed the latest Euro 6 diesel gener
December 16, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
2125 Audi's top-selling model released excessive toxic diesel emissions in results from lab tests run by the European Commission and seen by Reuters, raising suspicions of wrongdoing at 994 Volkswagen's luxury division.

The results threaten to embroil Audi in the scandal that has engulfed the company since it admitted cheating US emissions tests with software to mask nitrogen oxides (NOx).

The lab tests run by the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC) in August showed the latest Euro 6 diesel generation A3 emitted 163 milligrams of nitrogen oxides  per kilometre, double the statutory 80mg cap.

A separate lab-based test showed the A3 emitting 140mg of NOx at an engine temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, but emissions were below 80mg when the car was run with a cold engine.

"The differences between cold start and hot start are hard to explain," said Bas Eikhout, a lawmaker on the European Parliament's inquiry committee into the VW scandal.

Audi dismissed the results, saying the level of 163 milligrams was inflated by erroneous measurements on behalf of the JRC. Key parameters such as the state of the catalytic converter systems of the tested vehicles remain unclear, a spokesman said by email.

Other tests in Britain and Germany have shown the A3 compact, which topped the brand's sales rankings this year ahead of the A4 and A6 models, is complying with legal limits, he said.

EU regulators depend on the JRC's work to help to shape policy, but member states are responsible for policing their car industries.

A Commission spokeswoman said that the JRC's results were still preliminary. "If the test results raise some suspicion of wrongdoing, such as the installation of prohibited defeat devices, they will be shared with all relevant approval authorities," she said.

Germany's KBA motor vehicle authority declined to comment.
Air Quality & Weather Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • FTA urges government to rethink Clean air Zones
    December 21, 2015
    The UK’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) says exempting cars from the proposed Clean Air Zones in five English cities is a missed opportunity to significantly improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that Birmingham, Leeds, Southampton, Nottingham and Derby would be required to introduce Clean Air Zones to reduce concentrations of nitrogen dioxide by 2020 at the latest.
    Read More
  • Engine emissions analyser improves emissions testing capability
    June 1, 2016
    An advanced FTIR analyser installed at Intertek’s engine test facility in Milton Keynes is enabling engineers to improve the quality of their tests on the gaseous components of engine exhaust emissions. The gas analyser manufactured by Gasmet Technologies and installed by their UK subsidiary, Quantitech, measures multiple organic and inorganic components simultaneously from a large library of compounds, enabling Intertek’s engineers to quickly and easily change the measured compounds; to change the fuel
    Read More
  • Audi Urban Future Award – mobility of the future
    December 8, 2014
    The Audi Urban Future Award aims to stimulate new visions for cities and urban mobility; research collaborations with academic and cultural institutions worldwide; interactive events and workshops that bring together experts from many fields; and an internal interdepartmental think tank dedicated to issues of urban mobility. According to Audi, by 2050 two-thirds of all people will be living in large cities, a development which will pose major challenges for society and raises the question: what will be t
    Read More
  • London more than twice over air pollution limit, says ClientEarth
    October 14, 2019
    Greater London is more than twice over the legal limit for air pollution levels in the UK, according to a study. Charity ClientEarth says the UK is failing to meet the legal limits of nitrogen dioxide pollution, where the annual average concentration level is 40µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre of air). Findings show London’s annual mean concentration of 89 µg/m3 is followed by South Wales (62 µg/m3), West Midlands Urban Area (58 µg/m3), Glasgow Urban Area (58 µg/m3) and Tyneside (54 µg/m3). The study f
    Read More

Highlighted Content