Back at the very end of July, Porsche in an arrangement with the German Federal Motor Transport Authority, aka KBA, recalled Cayenne 3-liter V6 Diesel models in the EU6 emissions class. The profitable subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group – which produced the largest diesel emission fraud in history by using so-called defeat devices or software – claimed to have noticed “irregularities in the engine control software during internal investigations.” About 21,500 vehicles in Europe from model years 2014 to 2017 are affected, including 6,000 in Germany. (Above Left: The irony is hybrids deliver nearly the fuel economy of diesels without cheating or illegally polluting the air.)
It is no coincidence that in June, the respected German Magazine Der Spiegel first reported the “irregularities.” It also pointed out the existence of a cheating cartel consisting of Audi, BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen and Porsche that lasted for many years. The outgoing German government was complicit in allowing the cartel and the emissions in the view of critics because so many jobs were at stake.
An embarrassed Porsche stressed during the recall that it does not develop or manufacture diesel engines itself – Audi, also part of the VW Group supplied the dirty engines. Diesel Cayenne models are badge-engineered trucks that take advantage of a European loophole with taxpayer subsidies reducing the price of diesel fuel. Now, a software fix is available, one that should have been in place during what was a cheating certification.
Porsche owners will be contacted by their Porsche dealer from calendar week 45 on, and requested to co-operate by agreeing to an appointment at a garage. The software update will then take one hour to complete. Where required, the Porsche center will provide a form of transport as a replacement while the required work is being carried out.
