Following a probe of the South Korean government’s environment ministry targeting 20 diesel models, Nissan was taxed with the equivalent of $280,000 and accused of cheating.
Apparently, the popular Nissan Qashqai crossover’s diesel engine was to blame for the sanction. The South Korean ministry of environment did not mention if they were talking about the current generation of the Qashqai or an older model. In any case, they claim to have found a so-called “defeat device” in the Qashqai’s engine control software.
The Japanese automaker denied any wrongdoing in the matter. However, as the BBC notes, the company’s South Korean boss was sued for the situation. The Japanese company issued a press release in which it denied any manipulation of emission controlling elements and the use of “defeat devices.”
Nissan has promised to look into the matter, as they do not understand the inconsistencies between the results of the South Korean tests and their European counterparts, which the Qashqai's diesel engine passed with flying colors.
The South Korean government wants Nissan to recall around 800 vehicles sold by this brand, without any explanation on which engine version did not comply with standards or homologated specifications. Most likely, the 1.6-liter diesel version of the Qashqai is involved in the scandal, but it is too soon to be sure.
South Korea is a country which has taken Volkswagen’s Dieselgate as a great offense, and it plans legal action against the German company. Most likely, the probe done on the diesel cars among which the Qashqai was included is linked to the Dieselgate situation, which has caused great harm to the automotive industry, as government officials do not have the same trust in automakers anymore.
This is the second scandal related to emissions and fuel economy ratings in the past month, as Mitsubishi admitted last month to manipulating data in their national fuel economy homologation procedures. Ironically, Nissan was the one to find Mitsubishi’s figures as inaccurate, as the latter supplied the former with rebadged Kei cars. Eventually, Nissan purchased a controlling stake in Mitsubishi.
The Japanese automaker denied any wrongdoing in the matter. However, as the BBC notes, the company’s South Korean boss was sued for the situation. The Japanese company issued a press release in which it denied any manipulation of emission controlling elements and the use of “defeat devices.”
Nissan has promised to look into the matter, as they do not understand the inconsistencies between the results of the South Korean tests and their European counterparts, which the Qashqai's diesel engine passed with flying colors.
The South Korean government wants Nissan to recall around 800 vehicles sold by this brand, without any explanation on which engine version did not comply with standards or homologated specifications. Most likely, the 1.6-liter diesel version of the Qashqai is involved in the scandal, but it is too soon to be sure.
South Korea is a country which has taken Volkswagen’s Dieselgate as a great offense, and it plans legal action against the German company. Most likely, the probe done on the diesel cars among which the Qashqai was included is linked to the Dieselgate situation, which has caused great harm to the automotive industry, as government officials do not have the same trust in automakers anymore.
This is the second scandal related to emissions and fuel economy ratings in the past month, as Mitsubishi admitted last month to manipulating data in their national fuel economy homologation procedures. Ironically, Nissan was the one to find Mitsubishi’s figures as inaccurate, as the latter supplied the former with rebadged Kei cars. Eventually, Nissan purchased a controlling stake in Mitsubishi.