Cleaning up diesel too costly for mass market, Renault says, as real-world testing looms

Since the news of Volkswagen's illegal "defeat device" software in TDI diesel cars broke almost a year ago, the future of diesel cars has been the topic of much discussion.

But the makings of diesel's demise may have been building even before the VW diesel emissions scandal began.

Carmakers have known about tightening emissions standards for some time, but now the threat of on-road testing in real-world conditions appears to be boosting the costs of getting diesel engines to meet them. read more »

Lawyers Say Robert Bosch Covered Up Volkswagen's Emissions Scheme

New court filing alleges it “did not disclose its knowledge of the illegal defeat device.”

Auto supplier Robert Bosch concealed the use of Volkswagen’s secret “defeat device” software that it helped design and demanded in 2008 that the German automaker provide legal protection in its use, lawyers for American owners alleged in a court filing.

The filing on Friday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco expands on claims plaintiffs lawyers made in August, when they alleged Bosch was a “knowing and active participant” in Volkswagen’s decade-long scheme to evade U.S. anti-pollution laws. Bosch lawyers said last month those claims were “wild and unfounded.” read more »

Chevrolet recalls 3,250 cars from Russia due to power steering defect

GM Avto, Russian dealer of Chevrolet, is recalling more than 3,250 Cruze and Orlando cars due to a risk of leak of power steering fluid.

The cars which will be recalled, were sold in Russia between October 2011 and July 2012, Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology (Rosstandart) said on Tuesday.

"The reason for the recall is probable damage of power steering’s return hose and occurrence of leaks in the cars which are subject to recall," the statement said. read more »

Germany begins recall of 630,000 vehicles for emissions fix

The German government on Monday announced the start of a voluntary recall of 630,000 vehicles to fix emissions irregularities uncovered in the wake of Volkswagen’s “Dieselgate” scandal.

The federal transport authority KBA said in a statement it would begin the recall with refits for 10,500 Porsche Macan 4x4s, one of the luxury automaker’s best sellers.

A German inquiry in April found that the diesel-powered Macans were among a number of car brands that deactivate exhaust treatment features below a certain outside temperature.

Without processing, the exhaust does not meet European emissions standards for pollutants including harmful nitrogen oxides. read more »

Recall roundup on off-road motorcycles and off-highway vehicles

A recreational off-highway vehicle that can catch on fire, an off-road motorcycle with a crankshaft that can cause a crash, and bike helmets that fail to meet impact standards. They have all been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Polaris has recalled 13,000 recreational off-highway vehicles because the engine can overheat, creating a fire hazard. The affected models are the 2016 RZR XP Turbo and RZR XP 4 Turbo. Each sells for around $25,000.00. So far there are 19 reports of these vehicles catching fire. Six people have been seriously burned and 15 acres of forest land in Utah's American Fork Canyon were destroyed. read more »