The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) today published the findings of tests conducted on the BMW 320d and confirmed that the vehicle examined fully complies with all legal requirements. The tests were carried out following criticism of the car’s emissions’ performance in December 2017 by the environmental lobby group “Deutsche Umwelthilfe” (Environmental Action Germany).
Klaus Fröhlich, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Development, explained: “As a matter of principle, BMW Group vehicles are not manipulated and comply with all respective legal requirements. Our diesel engines are clean. The public and policymakers can rely on that – and, most of all, so can our customers and employees.”
The findings of the latest KBA tests once again confirm what has been repeatedly proven by numerous official reviews conducted by authorities worldwide: The BMW Group has no illegal activities or technical provisions of any kind that influence the test mode for recording emissions.
This naturally also applies to the recently criticised BMW 320d – as proven by the results of extensive test-bench and road testing. With regard to BMW Group vehicles, TÜV Süd already confirmed back in 2015: “The NOx figures (…) for all vehicles tested are within the technically explainable and expected tolerance and, in the opinion of TÜV SÜD, demonstrate very robust emission performance.”
Specifically, this means that the effectiveness of the emissions control systems required for exhaust gas treatment fully reflect typical customer driving behaviour. There is no intervention (“manipulation”) of any kind that could influence vehicle emissions.
The KBA test results also suggest that the emissions readings criticised by “Deutsche Umwelthilfe” resulted from forced driving situations and flawed execution of tests, and are therefore not representative.
Fröhlich: “The KBA test findings show quite clearly that the vehicle examined was not manipulated. We therefore find the procedure adopted by “Deutsche Umwelthilfe” to be unprofessional and its results meaningless.”
