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.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
