German Transport Ministry Accuses Fiat Of Using Emissions Defeat Device

Fiat is the latest automaker to come under the scrutiny of European regulators, with Germany’s transport ministry accusing the Italian automaker of installing emissions testing defeat devices in its 500X small SUV.

The Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt in German, or KBA for short) has reportedly discovered affected diesel 500X variants - which aren't offered for sale in Australia - are able to shut down their clean-running exhaust treatment systems after the official 20-minute emissions test cycle.

German news agency Der Spiegel claims that one tested vehicle stopped exhaust treatment after 90 minutes, while another took just 22 minutes.

Emissions