The Volkswagen dieselgate scandal has prompted every single environment agency around the world to amp up their scrutiny and attention when it comes to vehicle testing. BMW and other manufacturers are already collateral victims of this entire process, which is now known to have delayed several model releases.
The repercussions of the VW scandal are still noticeable and the latest backlash comes from South Korea. According to Automotive News Europe, the Ministry of Environment from the Asian country claims some errors were made when certain models were tested for emissions prior to being approved for sale.
Therefore, the Ministry plans to ban various models imported by BMW, Nissan and Porsche into the country for an undetermined period of time. While seven Porsche models are currently under scrutiny, there’s only one BMW that was found at fault. According to early info, the BMW X5 M model is the one subjected to further inspection, as it would appear BMW had submitted documents that had already been used for similar models.
At the moment, the Government officials are planning to hear the companies out during an official hearing for the case, before deciding on a definitive measure. In the meantime, four of the seven Porsche models suspected of wrong-doing have been pulled from the market. A final decision will be made in December, a BMW spokesman claiming that the company will “clarify and address” the issue as soon as possible.
“We’ll ask the companies to clarify their positions,” said Hon Dong-kon, ministry director, on the other hand. “If their illegalities are confirmed, we will revoke their certifications, ban sales of the affected cars and, if necessary, ask prosecutors to further look into the case.”
The first measure taken by the ministry was to announce that the companies will be fined a combined Won6.5bn ($5.6m) but there was no mention of how this figure will be split between the three manufacturers. This is a rather unexpected turn for the German manufacturer that recently opened its biggest driving center in Asia on South Korean grounds.
