The Volkswagen emissions scandal has weighed heavily on the German car group since autumn 2015
Keystone
The Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) has imposed a provisional halt on the registration of some Porsche and Mercedes models with manipulated diesel engines. The freeze is set to apply to vehicles imported from Friday.
Affected models include the Mercedes Vito with a 1.6-litre diesel engine and emission class of Euro 6, a model that the German Federal Motor Transport Authority already requested be recalled in May. At that time, Mercedes’ parent company Daimler stopped the delivery and licensing of these models across Europe, including in Switzerland.
For Volkswagen subsidiary Porsche, the vehicles concerned are Macans with a 3.0-litre diesel engine and Cayennes with a 4.2-litre diesel engine, both also emission class Euro 6.
FEDROExternal link said on Wednesday that it had been proven that these models had been equipped with an illegal off-switch for emission controls. It said the vehicles affected by the tampering could only be re-registered as new vehicles in Switzerland if they were proven to comply with the regulations.
The freeze does not affect vehicles already registered in Switzerland. FEDRO said these may continue to operate or be traded as used cars, but they would have to be retrofitted.
Consequences
The Roads Office has already been active in clamping down on another Volkswagen subsidiary: since last week, the A6 and A7 models of the C7 generation (with a 3.0-litre diesel engine of emission level Euro 6) may not be registered in Switzerland.
Generation 8 Audi A6 and A7 models built in 2018/2019 are unaffected.
Swiss car dealer AMAG, which imports Volkswagens, had already stopped deliveries of the A6 and A7 Audis in May after the German carmaker had been criticised for suspected exhaust trickery. At the centre of suspicions was the six-cylinder diesel engine installed in around 60,000 A6 and A7 vehicles since 2014.
The Volkswagen emissions scandal has weighed heavily on the German car group since autumn 2015, when the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accused Volkswagen of using manipulation software to falsify emissions tests in around 11 million diesel vehicles.
More
More
Two Audi models banned from driving in Switzerland
This content was published on
New Audi A6 and A7 3.0-litre diesel cars have been refused authorisation to drive in Switzerland due to manipulation of their anti-pollution systems.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
Petition calls for faster, stricter diesel standards in Switzerland
This content was published on
The petition, also supported by various environmental and consumer lobby groups, asks Transport Minister Doris Leuthard to ensure that new diesel cars only be allowed on the road if they “strictly conform” to the Euro-6d-TEMP emissions standard. In Germany, newly certified diesel cars must adhere to that standard starting next month. As pointed out in…
This content was published on
After decades of growth, the popularity of diesel vehicles in Switzerland is on the wane following scandals and concerns about environmental impact.
This content was published on
The Swiss newspaper Blick, which broke the story on Wednesday, said that the issue mainly concerned the VW Golf, Jetta, Audi A3 and Skoda Octavia models that went on the road between 2008 and 2009. The company was set to start contacting owners from July 17. The cause of the problem is a thermomechanical overload…
This content was published on
On Friday evening, Switzerland became the first country to prohibit the sale of new vehicles from the Volkswagen Group, following the revelation that “defeat” devices have been masking true emissions levels.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.