autoevolution
 

BMW Denies Diesel Emissions Rigging Intent, Software Update a “Mistake”

On Tuesday, German police raided BMW’s headquarters in Munich and a location in Austria looking for evidence of alleged diesel emissions rigging. According to CNN, some 100 police officers descended on two locations.
BMW 750d 1 photo
Photo: BMW
Almost immediately, the German company admitted there is reason for suspicion by local authorities, but said in a statement that the software update which prompted the investigation was installed in the cars by mistake.

BMW says that the 11,400 BMW 750d and BMW M550d vehicles targeted by the investigation have been supplied with a software update, which was developed correctly, but not meant for the said cars, but for other models instead.

“As previously communicated, in the course of internal testing, the BMW Group realized that a correctly developed software module had been allocated in error to models for which it was not suited,” the carmaker said.

“The BMW Group takes the situation very seriously and has a significant interest in the circumstances being fully explained.”

It’s not clear at this point what the update does for the affected models, nor is it clear what cars it was originally intended for and what it was supposed to do for them. The carmaker said it would fix the problem by recalling all the affected cars and fitting them with a corrected software.

BMW claims most of the models involved in the scandal have not gotten the update at the time of their fabrication, but two years after being sold.

The carmaker says the problem has been caused by “an incorrect allocation of the software and does not represent a deliberate attempt to manipulate exhaust emissions,” and has started an internal investigation of its own.

Although it’s unlikely BMW will go the Volkswagen way in this latest emissions scandal, the fact that another German carmaker is involved in similar mishaps, even by mistake, will not help take the heat off diesel cars.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Daniel Patrascu
Daniel Patrascu profile photo

Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories