The nightmare for Volkswagen Group isn’t over, it seems. Just shortly after announcing their plans to go down the zero emissions route, Audi is yet again accused of installing a software cheat for the Audi A7 and A8 models.
Approximately 24,000 cars produced and sold between 2009 and 2013 are involved in this episode, with close to 14,000 of them sold in Germany alone. The software allegedly halves the amount of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions until the steering wheel is turned by 15 degrees, according to the German Transport Ministry.
Audi went on to release the following statement: “The latest analyses of A7 and A8 automobiles of model years 2010 through 2013 with V6 and V8 engines certified according to the EU5 emission standard have revealed that in certain situations, NOx emissions are between 20 percent and 100 percent above the limit.”
A recall exercise for all the implicated cars has already been put in motion, and the software fix will only take 30 minutes. However, a group of disgruntled Volkswagen owners seem to face severe performance drop and worsening fuel consumption after the rectification process, while some others even had mechanical problems.
On the brighter side of things, every single variant of the next generation Audi A8 D5 will be electrified. Let’s hope they nip this in the bud soon.
Pictures by MotorTrend
