Photo: PSA Group
France’s consumer fraud agency has referred the PSA Group to prosecutors regarding some of its diesel engines.
The PSA Group is the corporation behind the Peugeot, Citroen, and DS brands, and a few of its diesel engines are suspected of cheating in emissions tests.
Representatives of the PSA Group have stated that they are “extremely surprised, even shocked” by the decision, and they deny the use of software cheats to trick emissions testing probes.
France has previously inquired other automakers regarding diesel emissions, and they include Volkswagen, Renault, and FCA Automobiles. The commission focused on Euro 5 diesel engines from the PSA Group, which are no longer being sold in passenger cars due to European regulations.
According to the investigation, five models built by PSA had “significantly higher” NOx figures in highway driving conditions when the engine’s temperature was increased, Le Parisien informs.
Gilles Le Borgne, the engineering chief at PSA, explained that the EGR emissions treatment is deliberately reduced at higher temperatures to enable low CO2 figures at high-speeds found while driving outside urban areas, where NOx and particle outputs are “less critical.”
At this point, the automaker is not currently facing charges, but we will find out more regarding the situation in the following weeks.
The French at PSA Group began a campaign last year that involved publishing its real world fuel economy figures. The strategy employed an independent organization that conducted the tests with standard models from the company.
It was an effort of transparency towards consumers, who have complained to multiple agencies and car makers that the NEDC test cycle is not that conclusive in providing real-world figures.
The PSA Group wanted to show consumers that its automobiles have a low fuel consumption even if they are tested outside of the laboratory where the regular efficiency tests are performed under strict conditions.
Europe will get a different standardized test for fuel economy in the future, which should provide consumers with figures closer to what they can achieve in real world driving.
Representatives of the PSA Group have stated that they are “extremely surprised, even shocked” by the decision, and they deny the use of software cheats to trick emissions testing probes.
France has previously inquired other automakers regarding diesel emissions, and they include Volkswagen, Renault, and FCA Automobiles. The commission focused on Euro 5 diesel engines from the PSA Group, which are no longer being sold in passenger cars due to European regulations.
According to the investigation, five models built by PSA had “significantly higher” NOx figures in highway driving conditions when the engine’s temperature was increased, Le Parisien informs.
Gilles Le Borgne, the engineering chief at PSA, explained that the EGR emissions treatment is deliberately reduced at higher temperatures to enable low CO2 figures at high-speeds found while driving outside urban areas, where NOx and particle outputs are “less critical.”
At this point, the automaker is not currently facing charges, but we will find out more regarding the situation in the following weeks.
The French at PSA Group began a campaign last year that involved publishing its real world fuel economy figures. The strategy employed an independent organization that conducted the tests with standard models from the company.
It was an effort of transparency towards consumers, who have complained to multiple agencies and car makers that the NEDC test cycle is not that conclusive in providing real-world figures.
The PSA Group wanted to show consumers that its automobiles have a low fuel consumption even if they are tested outside of the laboratory where the regular efficiency tests are performed under strict conditions.
Europe will get a different standardized test for fuel economy in the future, which should provide consumers with figures closer to what they can achieve in real world driving.
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