Reefa Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 A sudden wave of scrutiny over emissions threatened to engulf BMW after a German magazine reported Thursday that one of the luxury automaker's diesel vehicles emitted 11 times the amount of nitrogen oxides acceptable in Europe.The German automaker's shares tumbled 7% as of 8:24 a.m. ET following Auto Bild magazine's report that the International Council on Clean Transportation had discovered curiously high emissions on the BMW X3 crossover vehicle.The news comes after an ICCT investigation conducted in cooperation with West Virginia University researchers uncovered irregularities in the emissions performance of Volkswagen diesel cars.That prompted a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigation that caused Volkswagen to admit it had rigged 11 million cars worldwide with cheating software, a scandal that has crushed the German automaker's stock, severely damaged the VW brand and triggered costs of more than $7 billion.To be sure, while Volkswagen intentionally misled regulators by installing the so-called "defeat device" on diesel vehicles, it's far from clear whether BMW or other automakers have used similarly deceptive software.BMW issued a forceful statement denying any wrongdoing, saying in an email to USA TODAY that it "does not manipulate or rig any emissions tests.""We observe the legal requirements in each country and adhere to all local testing requirements," BMW said. "When it comes to our vehicles, there is no difference in the treatment of exhaust emissions whether they are on rollers (eg. test bench situation) or on the road."The automaker said it is "not familiar with the test mentioned by Auto Bild" but will ask ICCT "for clarification of the test they carried out."ICCT research has previously suggested that excessive NOx emissions — which can exacerbate respiratory conditions such as asthma — may not be exclusive to Volkswagen.In a report earlier this month, ICCT said that on-road testing of 32 European diesel cars from 10 automakers found that the average vehicle was generating NOx emissions at twice the regulatory limit.Some "manufacturers seem to be focusing on meeting emission limits over the current test cycle while neglecting real-world operating conditions,"ICCT study co-author Vicente Franco said in a statement.usatoday.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefa Posted September 24, 2015 Author Share Posted September 24, 2015 VW diesel scandal spreads to Audi, Porsche — and possibly even BMW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
212eta Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 VW, BMW...Who's next? :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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