Volkswagen Group claims that Audi cars with automatic transmissions have technology capable of distorting emissions when they are tested, as its premium brand is battling allegations over a reported discovery of a new cheat software device. A German newspaper “Bild am Sonntag” said a week ago that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) had this summer discovered cheating software in an automatic transmission Audi, which is unrelated to the device that triggered last year's diesel emissions test-cheating scandal at parent VW Group.
The software in CARB's discovery lowered CO2 emissions by detecting whether a car's steering wheel was turned as it would be when driving on a road. The software was used in diesel and gasoline models in Europe for years. VW says that Adaptive shift programs can lead to incorrect and non-reproducible results when the cars are tested. If the software that controlled the automatic transmissions of certain Audi models detected testing conditions, the cars shifted more rapidly and in a way that would lower emissions of CO2 as well as NOx emissions.
So-called adaptive transmission control is intended to provide better performance by improving fuel economy and reducing shifting frequency. VW also added that these adaptive systems support the driver by adjusting the gear-shifting points to best adapt to each driving situation.
