Mercedes has announced a £195 million plan to update three million diesel vehicles with new emissions software, following questions over a potential Volkswagen dieselgate type scandal at the premium German brand.
Last week, parent company Daimler came under pressure over accusations that it sold over one million cars with excess emissions in the US and Europe between 2008 and 2016, while German media reports that a Stuttgart court has issued a search warrant against the company to investigate the claims. Mercedes-Benz is also facing an investigation by the US Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States. Mercedes has not said the if update offer is related to the claims.
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Explaining the move, Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars said: “The public debate about diesel engines is creating uncertainty – especially for our customers. We have therefore decided on additional measures to reassure drivers of diesel cars and to strengthen confidence in diesel technology”.
Mercedes is not billing the plan as a recall but instead as something voluntary for customers, and an expansion of the firm’s existing optional NOx emissions fix for the 1.5-litre diesel unit powering some A-Class variants, plus fixes for V-Class customers.
The firm says that the measures will be carried out with the cooperation of German regulatory bodies and will come at no cost to customers. The plan will be put into action within weeks.
Mercedes also adds that it is now plotting a rapid launch of its latest modular diesel engine family, with a swift rollout of new engines - based on the four-cylinder OM 654 found in the latest E-Class - across its entire range.
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