At first glance, new European Union emissions-testing rules might seem to make it tougher for carmakers to cheat in the same way Volkswagen did with its diesel engines.
The new rules require on-road testing in real-world driving conditions, in addition to the laboratory dynamometer tests that VW successfully gamed with its "defeat device" software.
But when they were issued, the latest set of procedures also allowed carmakers more leeway to exceed the legal limits for nitrogen oxides than they had requested.
Now, it appears Volkswagen may have had a hand in pressuring regulators to be lenient.
In an e-mail to regulators, an unnamed VW executive argued for certain exemptions to new
EU emissions-test rules, reports
The New York Times.
The e-mail was written by the VW official on behalf of the European Automobile Manufacturer's Association trade group. Whether other carmakers in the group engaged in similar correspondence is unknown.
In the e-mail, VW argues against emissions tests that include cold starts, and driving at speeds above 100 mph.
While cold starts significantly increase the emissions from a gasoline engine, VW argued that the term "cold start" itself was not defined well enough for the purposes of testing, and thus should be eliminated entirely.
A European Commission spokesperson said regulators still plan to include cold-start testing in the new rules, which will take effect in 2017, assuming they are passed by the European Parliament.
The Volkswagen official also argued against emissions testing at speeds over 100 mph for performance cars--crossing out the proposed language from an excerpt included with the e-mail.
High-speed testing is particularly pertinent for Volkswagen, which owns several makers of performance cars, including Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Porsche.
A Volkswagen spokesperson said the company doesn't believe these tests are necessary, because drivers rarely reach speeds above 100 mph on European roads.
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