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May 19, 2016

SUZUKI & MITSUBISHI MOTORS' SCANDAL * Japan: Cause, EMISSIONS METHODS MEASURES

* Tokyo - Suzuki admits irregularities after the scandal Mitsubishi

-- The Japanese automaker Suzuki confessed Wednesday that measured emissions of their cars with non-approved methods, but denied having falsified results, unlike Mitusbishi Motors, mired in a scandal that prompted the resignation of its president... The company insists that the values ​​obtained by this method are not false, as explained by the location of the evidence "on a hill near the sea, weather conditions, especially wind, affecting measurements" ... Misleading data back to 2010, affecting 2.1 million vehicles of the 16 models sold in Japan, said the group's president Toshihiro Suzuki, at a press conference at the Ministry of Transport...  The group specializes in mini vehicles, with a strong presence in India, sells about three million cars a year... Suzuki confessions occur shortly after Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) admitted data manipulation and forgery in performance testing of their engines... The scandal caused a sharp drop in sales of cars group, Wednesday announced the resignation of its president, Tetsuro Aikawa, and its vice president... Mitsubishi initially said the fraud took place only four types of mini vehicles, but now admits that there are other concerned models including its flagship hybrid Outlander PHEV 4X4... Last week, another Japanese group, Nissan, unexpectedly came to the rescue of Mitsubishi, with the announcement of the purchase of a third of its capital... 
(Photo: A Suzuki mini-truck)  --  Tokyo, Japan - Yahoo News, by Anne BEADE - May 18, 2016

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Oct 2, 2015

TRUCKMAKERS CHEATING * USA: Caught with 'defeat devices'

* DC - Volkswagen only the latest in list of car, that include GM, Ford, and Honda
-- Volkswagen is far from the first company to stand accused of trying to game required emissions tests. Almost since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970, major manufacturers of cars, trucks and heavy equipment have been busted for using what regulators call “defeat devices” _ typically programing a vehicle’s on-board computer to boost horsepower or fuel mileage by belching out dirtier exhaust than allowed... Critics blame a federal regulatory system that largely relies on manufacturers to "self-certify" that their vehicles meet required fuel economy and emissions standards. The Environmental Protection Agency spot-checks only a low percentage of the vehicles made in the U.S. or imported to test the accuracy of the data reported by manufacturers... Donald Stedman, a University of Denver chemistry professor who specializes in testing the real-world emissions of cars and trucks, said the economics of the auto industry can make it profitable to cheat. Complying with clean air regulations can add thousands of dollars to a vehicle's sticker price while diminishing the driving performance that customers demand... Revelations this month that Volkswagen used sophisticated software on its "Clean Diesel" models to beat emissions tests has rattled the auto industry and angered hundreds of thousands of customers who thought they bought environmentally friendly vehicles. Both state and federal investigations are under way and congressional hearings are planned... Over the years, several major auto manufacturers — including GM, Ford, Honda and, yes, Volkswagen — have been forced to pay hefty fines and recall vehicles after getting caught using defeat devices... In stock car racing, there's an old adage: If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'. You could say the same sometimes for auto makers up against stricter environmental rules... 
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer - In this Sept. 23, 2015 file photo, diesel Volkswagens are seen behind a security fence on a storage lot near a VW dealership in Salt Lake City) -- Washington, DC, USA - AP/The Province (CAN), by Michael Biesecker - Sept 30, 2015)


* DC - EPA to require road tests on GM diesel engine pickups
-- The EPA has implemented stricter emissions testing and put manufacturers on notice that all new vehicles could be subjected to a road tests in addition to standard lab testing... General Motors appears to be among the first automakers held to this standard, as Automotive News reports that the new diesel-engine Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon both must undergo a road test before getting EPA approval... In the September 25 letter, the agency says it "may test" vehicles on the road to seek out defeat devices, but odds are it will test for the foreseeable future to avoid getting duped again... Chevy Colorado spokesman Otie McKinley said, he doesn't anticipate the additional testing will delaying the release of the 2016 diesel engine trucks. The standard gasoline engine versions of the truck will use the same technology as the current model year and, therefore, don't need to be tested...
(Photo: The 2016 GMC Canyon) -- Washington, DC, USA - The New York Daily News, by Kyle Campbell - September 29, 2015

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Sep 30, 2015

VOLKSWAGEN AFFAIR * Germany: Testing also took place on light trucks

* Berlin - German minister: VW fudged tests in light trucks

-- Manipulation of emissions testing also took place on Volkswagen AG's light trucks, besides cars, German transport minister Alexander Dobrindt said Friday... The German transport ministry this week launched a special investigation into Volkswagen's emissions scandal that has erased almost one-third of the company's market value. The affair, which prompted the resignation of Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn earlier this week, was triggered by last week's disclosure by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that Europe's biggest auto maker employed software on some VW and Audi diesel-powered cars to manipulate the results of routine emissions tests... Mr. Dobrindt's ministry is working with Volkswagen to determine which vehicles were affected. On Thursday, he said spot tests were also being conducted on cars made by other brands, German and foreign... Volkswagen said earlier this week that the software was installed on as many as 11 million cars world-wide and Mr. Dobrindt said on Thursday that cars in Europe were also affected... 
(Photo: VW's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany)  --  Berlin, Germany - MarketWatch (USA), by Ruth Bender and Friedrich Geiger - Sept 25, 2015

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Sep 25, 2015

TRUCKMAKER TROUBLES * USA - VW's vehicle emission troubles

* Virginia - Did emissions violations just kill an OEM’s North American dreams?
-- Volkswagen shares tumbled Monday morning on the heels of news last week that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that it was initiating a class-action lawsuit against the German automobile manufacturer. The suit alleges that Jetta sedans sold in in North America were equipped with emissions “defeat code” software: If the car’s Electronic Control Module detected a hook-up to an emissions testing device, it would adjust its emissions control system to conform to existing emissions regulations. Once the system was disconnected, the cars would revert to emissions performance not in compliance with EPA regulations — the car’s default operating mode... This is not welcome news at all for VW, should these allegations be proven. If that’s the case, the company is looking at a scandal that affected more than 10 million cars, according to the latest reports, and the in-house costs of repairing those vehicles will be tremendous. On top of that, the EPA could slap them with an $18 billion fine... The long-term repercussions of this story could send shockwaves across the global automotive pond that could eventually lap up on the shores of the heavy-duty truck market... VW is on record saying that its goal was to surpass Toyota and become the No. 1 automobile manufacturer in the world by 2020. Making a move into the North American truck market was widely seen as a vital step in that process... Who knows what will happen next? This scandal proves two things: One, that getting cute with emissions systems and stealth software is a bad idea. And second, that in the hyper-connected world of automotive and truck manufacturing, a bad decision in one business unit can have devastating consequences in markets and countries far, far away...
Herndon, VIR, USA - CCJ Digital, by Jack Roberts - September 22, 2015

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Sep 24, 2015

TRUCKMAKER TROUBLES * USA: VW emissions scandal

* DC - After revelations ff cheating on U.S. emissions tests

(Video from AJ+, on Sep 22, 2015) 
-- Volkswagen admitted that they manipulated U.S. emissions tests and that some 11 million cars worldwide are affected... Volkswagen's cover was blown when an independent review by the International Council on Clean Transportation found higher levels of nitrogen-oxide emissions in a Jetta and Passat car models... For now, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not named any more affected vehicles, but industry group Transport & Environment has already claimed the scandal could spread to cars sold in the UK and Europe. UK emissions testing company Emissions Analytics told other manufacturers could be guilty. As well as truck makers Scania and Man. For now, none of these other companies have been implicated in emissions cheating...


* Germany - Volkswagen's CEO Martin Winterkorn quits

-- Volkswagen boss Martin Winterkorn has resigned following the scandal that has engulfed the company. The German chief executive had previously issued an apology for the emissions testing fraud, which had affected 11 million cars, but at the time he refused to step down... Porsche CEO, Matthias Muller and Herbert Diess, who joined Volkswagen from rival BMW have been touted as potential successors... The trucks and auto manufacturer has set aside €6.5bn (£4.7bn) to cover costs of the fallout which has sent ripples through the automotive industry... 
(Photo Reuters: Martin Winterkorn has stepped down as Volkswagen boss)   --  Wolfsburg, Germany - IB Times UK, by Romil Patel - September 23, 2015 

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Jan 20, 2011

TRUCKMAKERS' CARTEL ? * EU & UK: Join forces on cartel probes

'EU says close cooperation with UK regulator

Brussels,Belgium -Reuters, by Foo Yun Chee -Jan 19, 2011: -- European Union and British competition authorities are working closely together on separate probes into possible cartel activities among some of the world's biggest truckmakers...  There was close cooperation with the UK regulator but the two investigations are separate," EU Commission spokeswoman Amelia Torres said on Wednesday...  EU authorities launched cartel raids on major truckmakers in Europe on Tuesday including the top two firms -- Daimler and Volvo...   Swedish group Scania and German peer MAN, both allied to German auto company Volkswagen , and Fiat Industrial , maker of Iveco trucks, also said they were being investigated...  Shares in the truckmakers fell, as analysts played down the likely impact of the investigation on company valuations...  Should these uncover the existence of a cartel, one can assume that everybody would be hit to a roughly similar extent. It is very hard to quantify this kind of risk, and that is why I believe the market is responding calmly to this," said Carl Holmquist, senior industrials analyst at Danske Bank...     "We have seen this type of thing happen in other industries in the past and it has not had any greater repurcussions for share prices and company valuations," he said...  The European Commission said it had reason to believe the companies concerned, which it did not name, may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices and/or the abuse of a dominant market position...  Torres declined to comment when asked if the Commission had coordinated with its U.S. counterpart on the case, and to provide details on the alleged cartel...

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Jul 18, 2007

* India - MAN Trucks hits speedbreaker on localization of components

The MAN Force joint venture hopes to capture fast growing markets for trucks in India, parts of Asia, Africa and West Asia

Pune,Delhi,India -Livemint, by Sudha Menon -13 July 2007: -- MAN Force Trucks Pvt. Ltd, the €150 million (Rs835.5 crore) joint venture between Man AG, Europe’s third-largest truck maker and the Pune-based commercial vehicle manufacturer Force Motors Ltd, to make premium trucks in India, is facing production glitches with trouble over the localization of a few components... The company planned to export around 12,000 vehicles from this year but chairman Abhay Firodia said the company was not making “significant” numbers of trucks. Full localization before the start of this year, was a part of the plan... This is the second vehicle maker to report trouble over localization of components recently...

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