The Federal Transport Authority is seeking a recall of 19,000 SUVs in Germany after discovering the luxury vehicles emitted excessive pollutants due to cheating software. Other countries are expected to follow suit.
Image: Porsche AG
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In yet another hit to Germany's image as a car mecca, the country's Federal Transport Ministry said Friday that it was ordering a mandatory recall of 19,000 Porsche SUVs in Germany because of emissions cheating, adding that a total of around 60,000 manipulated vehicles had been identified throughout Europe. The recall is based on demands made by the country's independent motor vehicle authority (KBA).
The agency said "impermissible defeat devices" were found in some 4,000 Cayenne and 15,000 Macan vehicles. The term defeat device refers to software designed to reduce the emissions of harmful nitrogen oxides in test conditions, with the car emitting more in real on-road driving.
A Porsche spokesman said across Europe, some 53,000 Macans fitted with 3.0 liter diesel engines and 6,800 4.2-liter Cayennes were affected by the recall, adding that the company was "working with the KBA on a technical solution" for the Macan's motor control software.
The company has already agreed to an update for the Cayenne and will contact owners about the installation.
In both cases the vehicles affected were certified under the more stringent Euro 6 emissions standard, even though news weekly Der Spiegel reported that investigators found the Macan diesels included five defeat devices even after a 2016 software update designed to reduce pollution.
This is not Porsche's first encounter with authorities. Last year, the KBA forced the recall of around 21,500 Cayenne V6 diesels, temporarily withdrawing certification.
In the spotlight
Germany's car industry remains in the focus of the media and criminal investigators almost three years after Volkswagen's September 2015 admission of rigging diesel cars worldwide to fool emissions checks. Up to this point, Dieselgate has affected 11 million vehicles and cost the Wolfsburg-based conglomerate more than €25 billion ($29.4 billion) in fines, buybacks and compensation.
Among other German car companies, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have both had their offices raided by investigators searching for evidence of possible cheating. BMW recalled some 12,000 cars in February after admitting they contained software that allowed the engines to release more harmful emissions on the road than in the lab, but insisted the software was installed by mistake.
Dieselgate: A timeline
VW's emissions scandal plunged the automaker into its deepest crisis ever. It brought with it everlasting damage to VW's reputation and massive fees and penalties — not to mention compensation claims from car owners.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Stratenschulte
The disaster unfolds — September 2015
About two weeks after Volkswagen admitted behind closed doors to US environmental regulators that it had installed cheating software in some 11 million of its diesel vehicles worldwide, the Environmental Protection Agency shared that information with the public. It was September 18, 2015. The ensuing crisis would eventually take a few unexpected turns.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/O. Spata
The boss must go, long live the boss — September 2015
Volkswagen's then-CEO Martin Winterkorn (above) had little choice but to step down several days after news of the scandal broke. In September 2015, he tendered his resignation, but retained his other posts within the Volkswagen Group. Winterkorn's successor was Matthias Müller. Until taking the reins at VW, Müller had been the chairman at Porsche, a VW subsidiary.
Image: picture-alliance/Sven Simon
Raiding headquarters — October 2015
Regulators in the US weren't the only ones investigating VW. Authorities in Lower Saxony, the German state in which VW is based, were also scrutinizing the company. On October 8 2015, state prosecutors raided VW's headquarters along with several other corporate locations.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Steffen
Hell breaks loose — January 2016
On January 4, 2016, the US government filed a lawsuit against VW in Detroit, accusing the German automaker of fraud and violations of American climate protection regulations. The lawsuit sought up to $46 billion for violations of the Clean Air Act.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Burgi
Quit or forced out? — March 2016
In March 2016, the head of VW in the US, Michael Horn, resigned. In the initial days and weeks after the scandal broke, he was the one US authorities turned to for information. He issued an official apology on behalf of the automaker, asking for the public's forgiveness.
Image: Getty Images/C. Somodevilla
Settlement — October 2016
On October 25 2016, a US judge approved a final settlement that would have VW pay $15.3 billion. In addition, affected cars would be retrofitted with better, non-deceptive hardware and software, or else VW would buy them back completely from customers.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Pleul
Imitators — July 2017
When dieselgate first emerged in 2015, analysts said it was likely other car makers were also cheating tests. But it wasn't until 2017 that other companies were targeted in probes. In July, German authorities launched investigations into luxury car makers Porsche and Daimler for allegedly cheating emissions tests. Others, such as Audi and Chrysler, have also been hit by similar allegations.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Kraufmann
Public still supportive — December 2017
Despite dieselgate, VW has managed to keep the emissions scandal from utterly tarnishing its image. According to several polls, between 55 to 67 percent of Germans continue to trust the automaker. In the US, polls show that roughly 50 percent still believe the German company produces worthwhile vehicles.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Klose
Fuming over monkeys — January 2018
In late January, however, VW suffered another heavy blow over reports that the company experimented on monkeys and made the animals inhale diesel fumes. To make matters worse, a separate experiment that had humans inhale relatively harmless nitrogen dioxide was revealed at the same time. Some media wrongly interpreted this to mean humans were also inhaling toxic fumes.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Gentsch
Canadian court demands millions — January 2020
Years after the scandal that caused Volkswagen to pay CAN$2.4 billion (US$1.83 billion), a court in Toronto order a further fine of CAN$196.5 million. Volkswagen pleaded guilty of violating in environmental laws. Prosecutor Tom Lemon noted that the fine was "26 times the highest fine ever for a Canadian environmental offence."
