Renault accused of cheating emissions tests for 25 years

French car maker Renault has been accused of rigging their vehicles to pass official emissions testing amongst the host of others in the spotlight like VW right now.

It’s believed that the conspiracy went all the way to the top with even the Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn being aware.

At present, Renault deny any wrongdoing; but if the allegations are found to be true, we may have yet again another carmaker who seems to be putting profits before people and our fragile environment…

In the wake of the colossal Volkswagen Diesel Gate Emissions Scandal we are helping thousands claim for, various governments have been prompted to investigate other car makers. The more they search, the more dirt they appear to find.

The French government have reportedly found evidence that Renault may have manipulated emissions testing, and they have passed their findings over to the French authorities. The French consumer protection and anti-fraud team in their investigations seem to have found enough on Renault to begin a criminal enquiry.

“Fraudulent strategies”

In a leaked official report, Renault has allegedly used “fraudulent strategies… to distort the results for 25 years”. It suggested that the “entire chain of management” were aware and likely to have authorised the activity. In the criminal enquiry, Renault are accused of manipulating test results for both diesel and petrol vehicles.

• Looking at individual cars:
• The Renault Captur reportedly exceeded the legal limit for NOx emissions by a whopping 377%
• The well-known and widely used Renault Clio returned an equally disturbing result; exceeded legal limits by 305%

These results are extremely worrying as the Volkswagen emissions were vast enough themselves. The NOx pollutant Volkswagen cars have already emitted into the air is suspected to perhaps shorten the lives of thousands of Europeans. Each time it’s revealed that another car maker has been allegedly excessively polluting the atmosphere, it’s confirmed that many more tonnes of NOx may have been spread into the air we breathe in.

The dangers of NOx

NOx emissions have been linked to respiratory problems which can in turn lead to all sorts of respiratory diseases, including cancer. At a time where climate issues are hotly debated, these emissions really will be creating irreversible damage to our planet. These issues are heavily regulated in the U.S. and so Volkswagen have already been forced to pay out billions upon billions of U.S. dollars in various fines to authorities, compensation packets to claimants, and investments into clean air projects.

Renault may be heavily sanctioned if they are found guilty on the above accusations.

Renault deny any wrongdoing

So far, Renault deny they did the same thing Volkswagen has been found doing. They reject any comparison that puts both Renault and VW in the same boat.

Chief competitive officer for Renault, Thierry Bollore, simply said:

“Renault doesn’t cheat.”

In the motor industry, where lies and conspiracy seem to be the norm, forgive us if we ask you to prove it…