The good news is that Audi has submitted a potential software fix to remedy its 3.0 liter V6 engines found to be non-compliant with EPA regulations. The bad news is that Volkswagen Group still needs a solution for the bulk of their millions of emissions-cheating vehicles.
All 3.0 liter V6 diesel engines developed by Audi for models including the A6, A7, A8, Q5 and Q7 starting in 2009 will be able to become compliant with US emissions regulations using only a software update, according to Audi via Automotive News.
The engine was also fitted to the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne SUVs, but the statement from Audi did not disclose whether or not the software fix will roll out to those vehicles as well, but included them in its statement.
The company has submitted updated emissions control software to the EPA that will prevent the vehicles from altering the vehicle’s performance when it detects it is being tested. From Automotive News:
In its statement today, Audi said that it failed to disclose three emissions control software functions, known as auxiliary emissions control devices, to the agencies as required by U.S. law.
“That will now be done with the updated software and the documentation,” Audi said in its statement.
One of those emission controls is the now infamous “defeat device,” which only limited NOx emissions when undergoing EPA testing.
From Audi’s statement:
Audi will revise, document in detail, and resubmit for US approval certain parameters of the engine-management software used in the V6 TDI 3 liter diesel engine. That is the result of the discussions held between a delegation from AUDI AG and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
The updated software will be installed as soon as it is approved by the authorities. The three brands Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen are affected. Audi estimates that the related expense will be in the mid-double-digit millions of euros.
This software fix only covers 85,000 3.0 liter V6 diesel Audi models, so the 11 million-or-so other dieselgate vehicles will still need a solution.
85,000 divided by 11,000,000 is about 0.77 percent; less than one percent. But hey, you have to start somewhere!
PHOTO CREDIT: AP IMAGES
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