Carmakers offer to overhaul 5 million polluting diesel cars in Germany

FRANKFURT: German carmakers offered to cut emissions by updating the software of 5 million diesel cars in an attempt to avoid vehicle bans, Germany’s auto industry association VDA said.

German carmakers will install new engine management software to make emissions filtering systems more effective and bring down pollution levels of nitrogen oxide by 25 percent to 30 percent, VDA said.

Carmakers Daimler, which owns the Mercedes-Benz brand; BMW, which owns the BMW and Mini brands; as well as Volkswagen, which owns the Audi, VW and Porsche brands; and Opel, which is now owned by PSA Group, agreed to the overhaul, VDA said. The talks though, have not been concluded yet.

Carmakers have also agreed to make a financial contribution toward a “sustainable mobility” fund, which will be used to help pay to clean up inner city pollution, VDA said.

PTI