VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34325005

Oh dear, I don't suppose this will do much to improve Germany's current public mood. It'll be interesting to see whether this does affect any EU cars and how open VW will be about the extent of the problem and any deception.

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

Naughty, naughty

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

l wonder how many more car companies could be doing the same thing....

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

i was reading about this apparently its hit their share price by around 18% to since the scandal came to light.

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

I would think they're all at it. Much easier to apply a techno cheat than to actually clean up an intrinsically mucky diesel. Looks like it'll cost VW dear in the states.

Just the same as the totally fictitious MPG figures that most claim. It's all a con as Which demonstrated.

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

I think the problem there is that many drivers don't understand that the official figures obtained under controlled conditions are only really there to allow comparative judgements to be made and determine such things as VED bands. It's impossible to provide an accurate figure for any car because so much depends on factors which are beyond the manufacturer's control e.g. weight of right foot...

I do think it ought to be made crystal clear to people that what they can realistically hope to achieve in real world conditions will be within a certain lower-upper range depending on individual circumstances, usage patterns, driving styles etc. Having said that, there'd still be those who refuse to read the effing manual just as there'll always be those who buy Renaults... :)

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

No surprise and l wonder how long it is before other car companies admit to their nefariousness as well.

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

A lot of poo is about to hit some fans.

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

...and a lot of lawyers will be rubbing their hands with glee.

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

I can understand how it happened though: Pressure to get test emissions down without affecting on-the-road performance, a brainstroming meeting and a bright spark with some "out of the box" thinking. The actual fixes may only have been known about by the development teams rather than the CEO etc.

I've been in those sorts of meetings where we're steering round patented proceedures and designs with devious firmware / software and tricks.

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

How will this pan out for customers though? A full refund would seem to be the only acceptable 'fix' given that a retro fit will result in de-tuning and resale value will drop through the floor. Who'd have thought VW would act like a spiv?

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

Not too dissimilar to what went on within the banks (and more recently the charitable sector) I imagine - direct and indirect pressure to hit targets with not enough oversight and questions being asked about how the results (e.g. sales/profits) were being obtained. It suited those at the top to be able to distance themselves from anything dubious. Who wanted to ask tough questions and hear bad news when fat bonuses, bloated pay packets and shiny gongs were at risk? I seem to recall an HBOS executive doing just that before the crash and getting sacked for his diligence and honesty...

I wonder how any executives who might be implicated in this will be treated if found guilty of wrongdoing - will they walk away with pay offs and fat pensions or really be called to account? Time will tell.

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

If you bring in targets and tests to meet them, then human nature is to design to beat the test. None of this is actually that surprising when you think about it. Is it really much different than the situation in our classrooms up and down the country, where so much time is put into getting the kids to perform well in SATS or showing off the school in the best possible light when Ofsted pays a visit?

The only way around this is rigorous, external, unannounced examination of the kind inadvertently provided by the researchers who uncovered the VW scandal.

Re: VW accused of 'rigging' emissions tests
 

Skoda have admitted to over 1 million of their cars are the same.
and Audi over 2 million.

I wonder if all car manufacturers say they did the same will make it better for VW if not all of them. and it will all shift to the consumer in the way of paying more tax on diesels?