14 out of 16 diesel cars in Korea violates emission regulation
By Jhoo Dong-chan
More diesel engine cars are reportedly being sold in Korea. Those that have better fuel efficiency than gasoline cars are becoming increasingly popular, although they emit more pollutants into the atmosphere. Fourteen out of 16 diesel cars sold here have been found to release more nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere, according to a government agency.
The National Institute of Environmental Research said Sunday that 16 diesel car models made by five domestic automakers and 11 foreign auto brands that become available on the market from last December have been tested. Of these, 14 were found to violate the government’s nitrogen oxide emission standard of 0.08 g/kilometer.
Only two models ― the BMW 520d sedan and Jaguar Land Rover’s Evoke models ― were found to meet the standard.
The Nissan Qashqai sports utility vehicle (SUV) reportedly emitted 10 times more nitrogen oxide than permitted, the worst among the tested vehicles.
Hyundai Motor’s Sonata sedan and Kia Motors’ Sportage SUV were also on the list, emitting five to six times more than the standard models.
The nation’s most popular SUV models ― GM Korea’s Trax, Renault Samsung’s QM3 and Ssangyong Motor’s Tivoli ― were also found to be in violation of the emission standard.
German premium auto brand Mercedes Benz E220 sedan, the Porsche Cayenne and the Volvo XC60 D4 SUV were also on the list, along with the Peugeot 3008 crossover, the Ford Focus and FCA Korea’s Jeep Cherokee SUV.
Italy-based luxury auto brand Maserati’s Ghibli reportedly violated the standard as did Volkswagen’s Touareg.
Last year, German automaker Volkswagen was found to have intentionally programmed its diesel engines to activate certain emission controls during laboratory testing. The programming caused the vehicles' nitrogen oxide emissions to meet US standards during regulatory testing but released much more nitrogen oxide in real-world driving.
“The Nissan Qashqai is apparently worse than the Volkswagen case. The government will take tough measures against the Japanese automaker,” a government official was quoted as saying.
According to the U.K.-based Guardian newspaper, 97 percent of all diesel vehicles on the streets actually emit more nitrogen oxide than permitted in Europe. Moreover, 25 percent of those diesel cars emit six times more nitrogen oxide than European standards.
Due to environmental regulations, sales of diesel powered cars in Europe have declined in the last four years while the engine has enjoyed growing popularity in Korea for its fuel efficiency.