German automaker Daimler is one of the most well known and well-respected brands when it comes to vehicles. However, the company's reputation came under duress due to the ongoing movement against diesel cars which Daimler still produces. In a move to appease the general public, Daimler announced that it would recall 3 million Mercedes-Benz branded cars with diesel engines in Europe. These vehicles would then undergo a radical change in a bid to improve their emission performance.
Daimler recalling 3 million diesel vehicles
The Stuttgart-based company claimed that the recall would be limited to Europe only and will be conducted so that drivers and the public of its diesel cars would be assured that the company's emissions performance when it came to these vehicles were far better than its competition.
The recall will include all the vehicles made under the EU6 and EU5 emissions standard and would require around $254.2 million to be completed. However, customers will not have to pay for these upgrades and the company will bear the whole cost. The recall is expected to start in the next few weeks.
This recent recall will be expanding an already ongoing smaller recall concerning the Mercedes-Benz V-Class and compact class vehicles. Daimler said that after the recall is complete, it will install new software inside these vehicles and the company would also use the knowledge of newer diesel engines to fix the older ones. The announcement of the recall came just hours after a regional government in Daimler's home region of Baden-Wuerttemberg stated that it would not ban diesel cars given that the company took steps to improve emissions.
Public outcry regarding diesel vehicles
The emissions from diesel vehicles were first brought to the spotlight when Volkswagen, Daimler's competitor, admitted to having installed special equipment to cheat in emissions test for their diesel vehicles. These vehicles would then cross the legal limit for emissions in everyday use.
This led to a huge public outcry and many German states demanded a complete ban on these diesel vehicles.
Daimler too is suspected of having engaged in similar false emissions tests for its vehicles, due to which it is under investigation by German authorities. Back in May, the company claimed that these investigators searched its offices to determine whether there was any indication of the company's engagement in such antics.
In the United States, Daimler has stopped trying to clear its diesel cars through the emissions tests that the Environmental Protection Agency recommends for certification. The US Justice Department also ordered the company to conduct an internal probe into its exhaust emissions certification process. All of these regulations have put the company's diesel vehicles in quite a fix, which can only be solved by considerably lowering the emissions.
