The Volkswagen Group is to run a pan-European software update for Euro 5 and some Euro 6 diesel vehicles from group brands to cut NOx emissions by an average 25-30%.

The announcement builds on plans by VW as well as BMW, Daimler and Opel to run updates on 5 million cars in Germany, as agreed at a Diesel Forum held this week (2 August) in Berlin, presided over by German government and automotive industry officials, which looked at ways to regain consumer trust and avoid diesel bans.

Volkswagen hasn’t confirmed which models will get updates, or total numbers for Europe-wide, but in Germany around four million vehicles will be affected, including the 2.5 million vehicles already being recalled following the diesel emissions saga. The carmaker also said the update – claimed by CEO Matthias Müller to “significantly reduce NOx emissions and significantly improve air quality” – will be “on offer soon”.

The upgrades follow a report from Der Spiegel magazine alleging possible collusion between Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler over technology relating to exhaust gas measures on diesels, which BMW continues to categorically reject.
The carmaker has also committed to a scrappage deal in Germany for Euro 1-4 diesel models which will apply across all brands in the Group.

“With the incentive to trade in their vehicles we are giving our customers strong motivation to switch to a modern, more environmentally compatible vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine or an alternative drivetrain technology,” Müller said.

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