Photo: Ford
Next month there will be two years since Volkswagen, the world's greatest car manufacturer at the time, was dragged into the industry's biggest recent scandal.
It all started when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that the German brand was using defeat devices in its diesel-powered cars to cheat the scores obtained in emission tests. The software was planted knowingly by Volkswagen engineers and was only active during lab testing, allowing the vehicles to emit a lot more carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides in the real world than allowed.
Needless to say, the backlash for Volkswagen was severe, resulting in an aggressive push for electric mobility from the Wolfsburg company that seeks to clear its image. Had the Dieselgate never happened, it could be argued that the Germans would still be pushing their diesel engines in the U.S., advertising them as clean and efficient.
A report from German publication WirtschaftsWoche claims that American manufacturer Ford might have been using similar techniques for meeting European emission standards on its Mondeo sedans (Fusion in the U.S. market) equipped with diesel engines.
The article claims the Transport Ministry has commissioned the Kraftfahrtsbundesamt (which, for obvious reasons, we'll refer to from now on as 'KBA') to look into the matter and carry tests that would reveal whether the suspicions are founded.
However, none of the involved parties - neither Ford nor the German authorities - have made any statements regarding the possibility. While it's natural for Ford to treat this kind of rumors as nothing more than that, we expect the KBA and the Transport Ministry to offer some sort of conclusion to the inquiry, whether it's to clear the carmaker of any wrongdoing or to make a formal complaint.
Ever since Volkswagen's schemes were discovered, a lot of voices said other car manufacturers would soon be found to use similar methods to cheat the very demanding emission tests. Until now, though, none others were proven or admitted willingly, which means Ford would only be the second high-profile name in a scandal revolving around diesel engines and their real-world emissions.
Needless to say, the backlash for Volkswagen was severe, resulting in an aggressive push for electric mobility from the Wolfsburg company that seeks to clear its image. Had the Dieselgate never happened, it could be argued that the Germans would still be pushing their diesel engines in the U.S., advertising them as clean and efficient.
A report from German publication WirtschaftsWoche claims that American manufacturer Ford might have been using similar techniques for meeting European emission standards on its Mondeo sedans (Fusion in the U.S. market) equipped with diesel engines.
The article claims the Transport Ministry has commissioned the Kraftfahrtsbundesamt (which, for obvious reasons, we'll refer to from now on as 'KBA') to look into the matter and carry tests that would reveal whether the suspicions are founded.
However, none of the involved parties - neither Ford nor the German authorities - have made any statements regarding the possibility. While it's natural for Ford to treat this kind of rumors as nothing more than that, we expect the KBA and the Transport Ministry to offer some sort of conclusion to the inquiry, whether it's to clear the carmaker of any wrongdoing or to make a formal complaint.
Ever since Volkswagen's schemes were discovered, a lot of voices said other car manufacturers would soon be found to use similar methods to cheat the very demanding emission tests. Until now, though, none others were proven or admitted willingly, which means Ford would only be the second high-profile name in a scandal revolving around diesel engines and their real-world emissions.
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