Car companies around the world are facing investigations on emission levels following the Volkswagen scandal three years ago. Authorities are looking at the differences in emission levels during testing and during the on-road performance. Daimler’s partner Renault and its supplier Robert Bosch are also facing emission-related investigations.
The penalty for tampering with emission systems is more substantial in the U.S. compared to Europe
The penalty for using software devices to tamper with emission systems is more substantial in the United States compared to Europe. European automakers are more prone to turning off filtering systems due to the laxity in the laws. Although in Europe, significant investments were made in diesel engines, currently Germany is looking to take old diesel vehicles off its roads to reduce pollution levels.
Companies like Toyota said they would phase out diesel vehicles in Europe during the course of this year due to significant demand for its hybrid vehicles. Electric cars are also seeing an increase in popularity which is slowly pushing diesel out of Europe. It simply does not make sense to hold on to diesel vehicles anymore.