BMW has addressed the allegations of secret meetings between German car manufacturers amid the diesel crisis, saying that the brands involved discussed AdBlue tanking infrastructure in Europe, rather than colluding on ways to get around European emissions laws.
Following reports last week of an EU investigation into an alleged cartel between Audi, BMW, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, BMW has defended its position. It said in a statement: “BMW Group vehicles are not manipulated and comply with respective legal requirements.”
The BMW Group previously denied any emissions manipulation in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal and has now reaffirmed its position on the matter.
The statement also revealed that official investigations - both national and international - were conducted into BMW regarding diesel manipulation, from which no evidence of wrongdoing was uncovered. Previous investigations into diesel emissions reached Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the PSA Group and Renault, in addition to the widely publicised and ongoing scrutiny of the Volkswagen Group.
In contrast to Audi and Mercedes, which both confirmed last week that some of its respective cars could receive voluntary emissions software tweaks, BMW has stated that there is no need for any tweaking of its Euro 6-standard diesel cars.
However, BMW is continuing to offer a software update for its Euro 5-standard diesels. This update is voluntary and cost-free.
