BMW clarifies its involvement in the possible anti-competitive agreements among German brands

Following reports published in Der Spiegel regarding a possible agreement among German manufacturers to distort free competition in the development of vehicles and exhaust gas treatment systems, the BMW Group has issued a statement in which it “categorically rejects” these accusations and states that “BMW’s specific technology ensures low emissions in real-world driving“.

According to the statement, “The BMW Group categorically rejects the allegations that the Euro 6 diesel vehicles sold by the company do not provide adequate exhaust gas treatment because their AdBlue tanks are too small. As a matter of principle, the German manufacturer insists that BMW Group vehicles are not manipulated and comply with the respective legal requirements”.

According to BMW, the technology used in its cars “is clearly different from other systems on the market. We compete to offer the best exhaust gas treatment systems: unlike other manufacturers, the diesel vehicles of the BMW Group use a combination of several components to treat their exhaust emissions. Vehicles that use urea injection with AdBlue (SCR) to treat exhaust emissions also employ a NOx storage catalytic converter. With this combination of technologies, we meet all legal emissions requirements and also achieve very good emissions performance in real-world driving conditions. This means there is no need to recall or update the software that BMW uses in its Euro 6 diesel passenger cars”.

According to BMW, “the combination of both systems, together with exhaust gas recirculation, requires a lower level of AdBlue injection, which results in a very low AdBlue consumption compared with other manufacturers. This allows not only the AdBlue tank size to be optimised, but also very low real-world emissions to be achieved while driving”.

According to BMW, buyers of its diesel cars benefit in addition to the fact that “all of its diesel vehicles feature simple tank refilling solutions for AdBlue, either through the tank cap itself or through the cover over the engine. Owners are promptly informed when this maintenance task is required and, if it is ignored, the vehicle itself prevents operation to avoid greater problems”. According to BMW, “the aim of the discussions with other manufacturers regarding AdBlue tanks was the installation of the necessary tank infrastructure in Europe”.

BMW has confirmed its “commitment to carry out, at no cost to vehicle owners, a voluntary software update on its Euro 5 diesel passenger cars. The update already incorporates the emissions knowledge acquired over recent years, thanks to which significant new emissions improvements are achieved“.

In any case, the BMW Group “considers this to be part of a comprehensive, joint plan of measures involving municipalities and industry to further improve air quality inside cities without a general driving ban”, in the context of the “Diesel Summit” to be held on 2 August in Germany.