When Volkswagen admitted that some 11 million of their vehicles worldwide were laced with cheat devices capable of allowing emissions controls to be activated during testing, but deactivated outside of test conditions, the world realised that one of the biggest brands on earth had knowingly deceived us all.
Despite accepting what they have done and agreeing huge pay-outs and fines in America and Canada, VW are refusing compensation to UK owners, claiming they think they are not legally responsible to do so. The action we are fighting in aims to change this, and amid fresh claims that carmakers are continually misleading customers, it’s a matter of time – in our view – until VW pay what they owe.
A recent investigation by Greenpeace claims that the world has been misled by other carmakers as well as Volkswagen over recent emissions testing and changes in the way tests are conducted. According to the reports, more than half of the newest and top-selling Euro 6 diesel engine cars pollute far more than they should and would not pass new testing introduced last year if they were to be re-tested.
Greenpeace clean air campaigner, Paul Morozzo, said:
“Carmakers, backed by the industry lobby, are yet again knowingly misleading their customers and the public at large by marketing new Euro 6 diesels as the ‘cleanest in history’.”
Are other carmakers cheating?
We have said from the very beginning that we would not be surprised if other carmakers had also been using so-called “defeat devices” like those used by Volkswagen.
So far, several carmakers have been indicted, and some have been forced to pay fines, damages and initiate recalls after regulators considered that software installed in some vehicles amounted to devices that contravened the law.
A number of automotive manufacturers stand accused of cheating and misleading customers, but no one is prepared to accept that such behaviour is occurring. Save for Volkswagen, who have been caught red-handed over the “dieselgate” scandal, other big-name brands like Fiat-Chrysler dispute that they have cheated, having stated that they may have used certain software in their vehicles that altered emissions for the sake of protecting engine components.
Although such behaviour is not illegal as such, it has been questioned.
Image Credit: https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/latest-still-telling-volkswagen-ditchdiesel-standwithsephie/
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