A story carried on multiple news services claims a large number of Volkswagen vehicles have faulty pollution control software.
http://news.yahoo.com/seoul-summons-volkswagen-over-cheating-emissions-tests-054317465.html
Initial indications are that the software was deliberately designed to cheat emission control laws, and knowingly installed on the vehicles in question. It's unclear how the software's behavior came to be known to authorities.
Is this typical behavior for corporations - or only those run by managers?
http://news.yahoo.com/seoul-summons-volkswagen-over-cheating-emissions-tests-054317465.html
Initial indications are that the software was deliberately designed to cheat emission control laws, and knowingly installed on the vehicles in question. It's unclear how the software's behavior came to be known to authorities.
Is this typical behavior for corporations - or only those run by managers?
It's strictly for the diesel cars build from 2009 to now. Nothing to do with the gasoline powered cars and SUV's. This is very much in the news. Must be many networks carrying this correct story?
jeff
jeff
I guess the fraud lies in an attempt to hide the impossibility to combine several emission requirements in one engine...
I wouldn't be surprised if more corporations have been fiddling with their testresults too, indicating even more stringent emission rules are rather utopian...
I wouldn't be surprised if more corporations have been fiddling with their testresults too, indicating even more stringent emission rules are rather utopian...
The BBC been carrying this story. Check the three links halfway down the article.
Volkswagen facing multiple US probes - BBC News
Volkswagen facing multiple US probes - BBC News
It's hard to find info on how they did it, but there is some. Fairly clever and devious. The onboard computer could sense when the car was on a dyno thru steering, speed variations and other clues. At that point it would turn on full emission controls to pass the test.
It will be interesting to see who came up with this plan and who OK'd it's use.
It will be interesting to see who came up with this plan and who OK'd it's use.
It is inacceptable what they did, but I cannot share your rant about the automotive industry.
Apart the fact that the automtive industry is an important factor and helps Dad to earn money for a living,
the heavier cars also make sure that the probability that Dad arrives at home instaed on the cemetery has raised MASSIVELY despite much much more traffic.
1970, 19'193 people died in traffic accidents in Western Germany.
2014, 3'377 people died in whole Germany.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verkehrstod
Compare these numbers with the absolute number of accidents, or with the number of cars, or with the total kilometers, and they becom much much much more drastic.
It is cynical to negate progress in safety, and unfortunately the progress correlates somewhat on curb weight of the car.
does anybody believe US, French, Japanese, Korean, Italian etc car makers act differently???
reason why this leaked out is a fight for power in VolksWagen to get rid of the current CEO
What has your comments to do with my answer to Calvin's rant about the automotive Industry in general? I do not exclude that all other manufacturers do cheat with emissions, but I have objections about his rant about weight and whatever else.
- They have improved safety in a spectacular way
- They have improved consumption despite heavier and safer cars (and I do not talk about dyno test consumption numbers but real world figures)
- They have improved emissions massively since mid 80ies in Europe (in fact and looking at the actual air quality in central europe I find the continuously more stringend emmission regulations somewhat strange, as they go against efficiency)
I did say that this is inacceptable, but I cannot agree with such a general rant against the automotive industry.
Would the automotive industry spend their creativity (that no doubt exists) in clever lightweight vehicles we would already have them. But since there is no pressure (not from politics and not from the consumers) they just continue with what they always did: please the needs of the market. Which is gadgets, internet in cars, comfort this and that, chrome applications and more powerful engines. Oh yes, we have a hybrid powertrain in a Porsche Cayenne or similar... what an achievement!
Given that ex-CEO Ferdinand Piëch and the other members of the Porsche clan are majority shareholders of VW (Porsche SE holds 51% of voting VW shares) that would be insane.
They could have just sacked him rather than risking the entire company and wasting billions of what is effectively their own money.
My wife owns one of these vehicles (great car, actually--at least to date), and while I expect the fuel efficiency to drop after the emissions system has been recalled (however long that will be), I also wonder what other effects this might have on engine performance (likely a drop in horsepower) and overall engine maintenance. It's the potential effects this might have on engine performance and long-term maintenance (engine-functions) that worry me the most.
As I understand, they did it mostly to keep the good engine performance of the cars, to keep the customers happy. I presume there will be a loss in engine performance after the recall. Can't have it all.
I'm okay with a little loss in engine performance and fuel efficiency, its the possible complications this might cause to long-term maintenance and reliability that concerns me. These are very precisely tuned motors, and it's not clear if they will be as reliable when operating under more stringent emission controls than they have been under the reduced controls.
As I understand it, I think it's even better for long term reliability of the engine. It's not that stressed out to offer good performance so in theory should last longer. But I can't be sure of-course.
I don't know if you are familiar with car chip-tuning. They basically alter the fuel injection map and they get more power out of the same engine, but long term is not a reliable thing to do. Also chip-tuning increases pollution.
I think they will do the opposite now, and down-tune the engine.
I think they will do the opposite now, and down-tune the engine.
I'd be surprised if other car makers weren't doing the same.
Might be a good time to buy shares in VAG group (with a long term view)
Might be a good time to buy shares in VAG group (with a long term view)
I knew someone doing this kind of "tuning" to cars, he said that turbo-diesel cars have the largest increase in power, up to 30% more.
Also he said that some VW cars that have the same engine but different power ratings, do it mostly only from software. So you have the same car, different prices with different power ratings. Maybe some of them will come with a stiffer turbo and few other bits to sustain the increase in power. But it's mostly the same car/engine, and software does the biz.
Also he said that some VW cars that have the same engine but different power ratings, do it mostly only from software. So you have the same car, different prices with different power ratings. Maybe some of them will come with a stiffer turbo and few other bits to sustain the increase in power. But it's mostly the same car/engine, and software does the biz.
The argument that because everything seems corrupt, it's somehow excusable, is high order bs. If we take that tact, we are in mortal peril. Oh, wait, we are in mortal peril...
Expose corruption, correct it, repeat... Just my 2 cents...
Expose corruption, correct it, repeat... Just my 2 cents...
If many car manufacturers are doing a similar ECU test trick then it would have leaked out into the motor industry in general.
The fact that it has taken 6 years to uncover the VW test trick indicates to me that it is not industry wide.
Maybe a very few manufacturers have resorted to this and maybe only for some of their markets rather than to every vehicle.
I read that it has been found on a USA market VW diesel Beetle.
Are there other market Beetles that have been caught?
Are there other VW diesels that have been caught?
Does it apply to all the brands under the VW ownership, Audi, Seat, Skoda etc?
The fact that it has taken 6 years to uncover the VW test trick indicates to me that it is not industry wide.
Maybe a very few manufacturers have resorted to this and maybe only for some of their markets rather than to every vehicle.
I read that it has been found on a USA market VW diesel Beetle.
Are there other market Beetles that have been caught?
Are there other VW diesels that have been caught?
Does it apply to all the brands under the VW ownership, Audi, Seat, Skoda etc?
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