100,000 Opel cars recalled in Germany in diesel probe

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Germany’s Transport Ministry said on Monday that nearly 100,000 Opel vehicles were to be recalled, just after the automaker was raided by officials on suspicion that the company manipulated a software to cheat on diesel emission tests.

Public prosecutors have already visited the cities of Ruesselsheim and Kaiserslautern to investigate the preliminary proceedings on emissions. According to German news agency dpa, investigators suspected Opel was likely to use software to shut off emission control at the certain temperature and engine speed.

Opel opposed to the accusation of using cheating devices and said in a statement that it had made this clear to the federal KBA transport authority in the ongoing hearing.

Opel said the company was "fully cooperating with the authorities" and reaffirmed its vehicles "comply with the applicable regulations".

German Transport Ministry said in a statement that it had found four software devices which could change car emissions in 2015 and ordered the company to upgrade the software to avoid cheating on emissions.

The ministry said that earlier this year, the fifth cheating device was discovered and now there is a hearing going on. It added that the models Cascada, Insignia, and Zafira across Europe would be mandatorily recalled.

Opel is a subsidiary of French automaker Group PSA, which was sold by General Motors last year.

In 2015, car giant Volkswagen admitted that it had used cheating devices on American air pollution tests, which has made a great negative impact on the German auto industry.

(Cover: VCG Photo)