VW, Opel, Mercedes And BMW To Update 2.5 Million Diesel Vehicles In New Deal With Germany

The German automotive industry has agreed to a series of measures with their government, including a voluntary update to Euro5 and partial Euro6 diesel models, in a bid to save the diesel technology and avoid city driving bans.

The deal was reached at today’s “National Diesel Forum”, with BMW also announcing incentives of up to 2,000 euros for Euro4 diesel owners to trade-in their old vehicles for a new car with up to 130g/km of CO2 emissions in the NEDC.

“The automotive industry is aware that it has lost a lot of confidence,” said the German auto industry lobby VDA in a statement. “We must and will work to regain this confidence. This is a core concern of the industry - in our own interest, in the interest of our customers and employees as well as in the interest of our country.”

The recall will be carried out by BMW, Daimler, Opel and Volkswagen and includes around 2.5 million Euro5 and Euro6 diesel-powered models. The companies will retrofit these models with a software update that will reduce the nitrogen oxide emissions by 25 to 30 percent. VW has already fixed an additional 2.5 million diesel vehicles related to its Dieselgate scandal.

VDA says that the update has been made possible by the technical advances in exhaust gas after-treatment and engine control, which have been developed in recent years. The update will be free for the owners and will not affect the engine performance, fuel consumption or service intervals.