Renault, other pollution fraud car corporations

This Reuters video says about itself:

France probes possible Renault diesel emissions cheating

13 January 2017

The Paris prosecutor has launched an investigation into possible cheating by Renault on exhaust emissions, a source at the prosecutor’s office said on Friday.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV:

French prosecutor launches criminal investigation against Renault because of diesel fraud

Today, 15:18

The French public prosecution service has begun a criminal investigation into Renault because of emission fraud with their diesel cars. Not long after the 2015 fraudulent software scandal of Volkswagen came to light, there were already suspicions against Renault.

The justice department a year ago raided the premises of the carmaker, which is partly owned by the state. The French public prosecution service now has enough incriminating evidence for a criminal investigation. …

Last year, Renault recalled 15,000 cars because they emitted too many harmful gases. The company said that this was not the result of fraud.

Fiat Chrysler

In America, Fiat Chrysler yesterday came under fire from the environmental authority EPA. According to the EPA, the company has just like Volkswagen used software to get cars through the emission test. On the road the cars emitted more harmful substances than during the test.

The German government has urged the European Commission again to speak to Italy about suspicions against the Italian-American company. The German regulatory authority had already found irregularities in Fiat cars. But Germany and Brussels can not directly take action against Fiat; the Italian government must do that. Which so far is stalling.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen has earlier this week bought off criminal prosecution in the USA. As part of a settlement of $ 4.3 billion, Volkswagen pleaded guilty. …

Earlier there were reports that Nissan had tampered with the Qashqai model. The justice department in Japan investigates this. The Belgian broadcaster VRT reported last year that Opel used fraudulent software in their Zafira Tourer cars.

The horrific death of Thiyagarajan Mahalingam, a 29-year-old a junior engineer at Renault Nissan’s auto plant in the Oragadam Special Economic Zone near Chennai, India, reveals the brutal working conditions in most of the country’s factories. A mechanical engineer in the plant’s maintenance department, Mahalingam was crushed to death by a hydraulic press January 6 as he was inspecting the machine in the engine assembly section: here.