The parent company of Peugeot, Citroen, and DS, the PSA Group, came across some serious allegations of using illegal emissions cheating software in their Euro-5 spec diesel variants.We already know that manufacturers are really under pressure for complying with the strict Euro-4 and Euro-5 norms.
Engines need to undergo many changes and upgrades that are required to make them emission standard compliant. The reports in the French newspaper Le Monde says that around 1,914,965 diesel vehicles from the PSA Group are affected by this software. If this is proven true, PSA Group will incur a €5 Billion fine.
PSA did release an official statement where they assured that they always complied with the regulations and never attempted to tamper with software programs that will trick the emissions systems or activate any pollutant treatment device during consumer use.
This is a strong allegation against the company and the tension rises as PSA Group is under the heat for such cheating. This also brought down the shares of PSA from 4.4 percent at 17.78 Euros. These devices are called as "defeat devices" and if this is proven, PSA Group will not only suffer a loss in paying huge fines but will also lose their reputation and their market value by a huge margin.