Dieselgate

When Anti-Pollution Cheating Resurfaces

The Dieselgate scandal left its mark on the automotive industry, leaving a bitter taste and billions of euros in fines. One might have thought this dark chapter was closed, yet, current events remind us that some manufacturers aren't done with legal troubles. At WOT, as specialists in approved engine remapping, we closely follow the evolution of standards and technologies. But this new case involving FCA leads us to question: why the same stories, and more importantly, why were some players singled out more than others?

Volkswagen, an Ideal Scapegoat?

The Dieselgate scandal broke into the open with Volkswagen (VAG), which admitted to equipping 11 million of its diesel vehicles with software capable of detecting homologation cycles (notably the NEDC at the time) and modifying pollutant emissions accordingly. But what is less known is that VAG was not alone. Other manufacturers resorted to similar practices, but without the same media impact.

The question then arises: why was VAG so heavily sanctioned and singled out, while others remained in the shadows? The answer probably lies in the company's positioning. At the time, VAG had just dethroned Toyota to become the world's largest car manufacturer. Its success was largely based on its Bluemotion engines, presented as powerful, economical, and above all, ecological. It was the miracle recipe to prove that diesel had its place and that VAG dominated the market thanks to cutting-edge technological mastery, in collaboration with equipment supplier Bosch.

So much spotlight on this "German technology" didn't please everyone. Engineers and universities, particularly in the United States, looked into the VAG case, seeking to unravel the secret of such spectacular performance. Anti-pollution standards vary from country to country, and the CARB standard in California is undoubtedly one of the strictest in the world. During tests, they noticed a divergent behavior of vehicles in test conditions compared to normal use. Since test procedures are standardized and known (dynamometer, open hood, defined RPM cycles), it was technically possible to introduce code into the engine control unit (ECU) software to modify the mapping, reduce performance, and optimize combustion specifically during these tests. This is what VAG did, knowingly with the complicity of Bosch, and the sanctions were colossal.

What is less often said is that Opel, which was not yet under the Stellantis umbrella at the time, also used the same process. However, their vehicles were equipped with Delco E92 ECUs, entirely developed by Delco and without any interaction with Bosch. This demonstrates that the practice was more widespread than initially imagined.

FCA, In Turn, Before the Courts

And the story certainly doesn't end there. After Volkswagen, Peugeot-Citroën, and Renault, it's Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA)'s turn to be targeted by a fourth trial for emissions deception in France. The Paris public prosecutor's office has requested this new procedure concerning vehicles marketed between 2014 and 2017 under the Fiat (notably some Fiat 500X), Alfa Romeo, and Jeep brands, equipped with Multijet II diesel engines.

These vehicles are suspected of having "frequently exceeded the regulatory threshold for nitrogen oxide" (NOx) emissions, which are harmful air pollutants. The public prosecutor's requisitions indicate that these vehicles would have been "specially calibrated according to technical parameters (temperature, speed, gear ratios, etc.) ensuring that the vehicles met the regulatory standard [...] only under the driving conditions of the homologation test." Outside of these test conditions, the operation of the pollution control systems was "severely degraded."

A judicial expert specified that, even if there was no "strategy for detecting the entire homologation cycle" as with Volkswagen, the operation of the pollution control components had been adapted solely to the homologation procedure.

FCA, which merged with PSA in 2021 to form Stellantis, disputes "the entirety of the legal argument." However, consumer associations like the CLCV express satisfaction with these requisitions and demand "full compensation" for the 38,144 affected vehicles. The revenue generated by the sale of these vehicles for FCA is estimated at approximately 836 million euros.

It is important to remember that FCA had already reached an amicable agreement in early 2019 with US authorities, agreeing to pay up to 515 million dollars to settle the lawsuits. In France, the group was charged in July 2021 for "deception on the substantial qualities of a product leading to a danger to human or animal health." A 2017 report from the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) even referred to a "global strategy aimed at manufacturing fraudulent engines, then marketing them."

The final decision on whether a trial will be held now rests with the investigating judge. This case demonstrates once again that the practices of some manufacturers to circumvent pollution standards are a persistent problem. At WOT, we are committed to offering remapping solutions that scrupulously respect current standards, thus guaranteeing performance and legality for our customers.