Volkswagen was again investigated by South Korea

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of South Korea, they have analyzed the exhaust gas test data of the Volkswagen Tiguan diesel version equipped with emission fraud software provided by the Ministry of Environment, and determined that the software will affect the fuel economy of the vehicle.

In September this year, the US Environmental Protection Agency accused the Volkswagen diesel car of cheating, and South Korea subsequently stated that it would investigate the Volkswagen diesel car in the Korean market.

On November 26, the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea announced the results of the investigation and found that the exhaust gas recirculation system on the Tiguan model with the Volkswagen EA189 engine installed will automatically shut down during travel, resulting in a much higher nitrogen oxide emission than indoor testing. The amount of emissions, therefore, ordered the public to stop selling and recalling a total of 125,500 vehicles of 15 diesel models equipped with EA189 engines, such as Tiguan, and planned to collect a total of 14.1 billion won (approximately 79.9 million yuan) in fines.

In early December, the Ministry of Environment and Environment of Korea provided the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport with laboratory test data and actual road condition inspection data for the exhaust gas and fuel economy of diesel vehicles. Test data show that in addition to the impact of emissions, fraud software also has a significant impact on the fuel economy of vehicles. Some experts speculate that after the cheating software is started, the fuel consumption of cars will increase significantly.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of South Korea stated that it plans to carry out laboratory tests and actual road conditions tests for all Volkswagen diesel vehicles equipped with EA189 engines such as Tiguan, Passat, CC, and Beetle at the beginning of next year. After that, four types of cars, including Tiguan, which needs to be recalled, will be fueled again. Economic testing.

According to Korean law, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport can order the public to recall these vehicles and impose fines on the public once the actual road conditions of the investigated vehicles have exceeded the actual road fuel consumption by more than 5%.

Although faced with emissions problems, the public’s sales in South Korea do not appear to have been affected much. According to data released by the Korea Import Automobile Association on the 24th, in the first 11 months of this year, the number of Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TDI models reached 8269, ranking first; the second is Audi A6 35 TDI with cumulative sales of 6,349 units; For the BMW 520D (5921) and the Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TDI (5758). Among the top four models of South Korean imported car sales, three are Volkswagen products.

In the first three quarters of this year, Volkswagen’s sales in South Korea performed well. After being exposed to counterfeit emissions, Volkswagen significantly reduced the price of its models. Through price-cutting promotions, Volkswagen successfully saved sales of its products.