South Korean Ministry of Environment has banned the sales of certain models from BMW, Porsche, and Nissan, after the carmakers were found to have fabricated the certification documents. Affected models are BMW X5 M, Infiniti Q50, Porsche Macan S diesel, Cayenne SE Hybrid, Cayenne SE Turbo, 918 Spyder, Cayman GTS, 911 GT3, Panamera SE Hybrid, and Nissan Qashqai diesel, a total of 10.
Nine of the above mentioned models have been banned since last month, and Nissan’s Qashqai diesel SUV has been banned since June, the environment ministry said on Monday. Additionally, the carmakers’ local units have been ordered to pay a fine of 7.17 billion won ($5.9 million) (combined) for the affected 4,523 vehicles already sold in South Korea.
Spokespersons at the South Korean units of Nissan and BMW have reportedly acknowledged the findings in the government investigation, saying they would try to achieve certification for those affected models again. A spokesperson at Porsche, owned by VW Group, was not immediately available for comment.
Also, it’s not the first time VW Group is facing fines in South Korea. Back in August 2016, the group was fined 17.8 billion won ($15.98 million) for fabricating documents on emissions or noise-level tests since 2010. A total of 32 models from Volkswagen, Audi, and Bentley were banned, including the VW Golf and Audi RS7. As for the Nissan Qashqai, the South Korean government discovered a “cheating device” that shut off its pollution reduction system when driving at normal temperatures, according to Reuters. However, Nissan denied accusations, saying it has not and does not employ illegal defeat or cheat devices in any of its cars.
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