Over 2.1 lakh diesel engines of Hyundai and Kia combined are suspected to have emission defeat devices
Government authorities in Germany, in association with European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), have raided the premises of Hyundai and Kia over allegations of the brands using illegal emission defeat devices in their diesel engines.
Over 2,10,000 diesel engines of both the brands combined plying on the roads currently are suspected to have the defeat device installed. An emission defeat device is a mechanism or a software that can change an engine’s emission levels to the user desired values.
Such devices have the capability to mask the actual pollution caused by the respective engines. The software that Hyundai and Kia use is thought to have come from OEMs – Bosch and Delphi which are owned by the Borgwarner Group.
Authorities searched the brands’ premises at 8 places in Germany and Luxembourg. A spokesperson for Hyundai Motor Group in Seoul representing Hyundai and Kia had confirmed the raids and had said that the companies were working with the authorities.
It is to be noted that, just a couple of months ago, authorities conducted a similar raid related to the use of illegal defeat devices in Suzuki diesel cars that could provide rigged emission readings to comply with the latest Euro Emission Standards.
The authorities said that the devices were allegedly fitted in the Stellantis’ subsidiary Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA Italy)-built diesel engines of large numbers of Suzuki cars giving the impression that the vehicles’ nitrogen oxide emissions were in line with EU regulations.
Volkswagen and GM were already caught for the same scandal a few years back. For Volkswagen, it costed more than USD 40 billion in vehicle recalls and legal procedures.