Volkswagen denies installing cheat software in six-cylinder diesel vehicles

Volkswagen yesterday denied it had installed software in six-cylinder diesel vehicles that changed engine performance during emissions testing.

The widening Volkswagen emissions-test cheating scandal extended to Porsche and Audi six-cylinder diesel vehicles as California and federal regulators brought fresh charges that the automaker used software to cheat in tests.

The development yesterday, came as Porsche's former chief executive recently promoted to clean up the mess at parent VW, initiated a damage control exercise to regain consumer trust.

The German luxury carmaker appointed Matthias Mueller after the company's market value plummeted by half and longtime CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned in disgrace (See: Porche's Mueller to replace Winterkorn at Volkswagen).

The company now stands accused of using the same tactic with six-cylinder engines as it had admitted to using in about 11 million four-cylinder diesels worldwide - software that changed engine performance during emissions testing.

"VW has once again failed its obligation to comply with the law to protect clean air for all America," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency's Office for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, AP reported.

Meanwhile, EPA officials declined to say whether VW officials lied about the six-cylinder vehicles, but according to Giles, the software was discovered through joint testing by federal and California officials.

Meanwhile, in a new Notice of Violation to Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche, the EPA said it found several models with the illegal defeat devices.

"The EPA's investigation into this matter is continuing," the notice said. "The EPA may find additional violations as the investigation continues."

According to the agency, the software on the 3.0-liter engines increased emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx) up to nine times the legal standard when the car was not hooked up to emissions-measuring equipment.

''All companies should be playing by the same rules. EPA, with our state, and federal partners, will continue to investigate these serious matters, to secure the benefits of the Clean Air Act, ensure a level playing field for responsible businesses, and to ensure consumers get the environmental performance they expect,'' Giles said, consumeraffairs.com reported.

The latest alleged violations are being investigated by both the EPA and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The new notice covers approximately 10,000 diesel passenger cars already sold in the US since model year 2014 and additionally included an unknown number of 2016 vehicles.

According to research by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Volkswagen's rigging of its diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests could result in around 60 deaths in the US by the end of next year. (See: Volkswagen excess emissions could lead to 60 deaths in the US: study).