Nissan Accused of Emissions Cheating

Will Nissan bring their Qashqai compact crossover SUV to the U.S. to compete with the Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4 and the Mazda CX-5? If they can get past allegations of emissions tampering in their compact crossover SUV, they could. It’’s been reported they want to sell the smaller, more fuel-efficient version of the Rogue here in the US.

Nissan accused of emissions tampering

Now, Nissan has been accused of emissions tampering on the heals of their takeover of Mitsubishi who admitted rigging fuel economy tests to make some cars appear more efficient than they really are. Nissan has denied the allegations from the South Korean Ministry of the Environment who says Nissan used emissions-cheating software in its Qashqai that shuts off the small crossover’s exhaust reduction system during normal driving conditions.

The claims arose during an investigation by the Korean government into diesel car emissions following the Volkswagen TDI scandal last fall. The recall is small, only affecting 814 Qashqai vehicles sold in South Korea. If the charges stick after Nissan’s impending appeal, it could derail the Japanese automaker’s plans to bring the smaller version of the Rogue to the U.S.

The compact crossover SUV market is hot

Nissan wants a Forester, RAV4, CX-5 fighter and the Qashqai would be the ideal vehicle to compete in the popular small crossover SUV segment. It features Nissan’s All Mode 4x4-i four-wheel drive system with torque vectoring. In the UK, it comes with two gasoline turbocharged engines, either the DIG-T 115 or the powerful DIG-T 163 with its 240Nm (177 lb. ft) of torque. They come mated to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or with the Xtronic automatic transmission.

It would likely be a popular small crossover in the U.S. and compete well with the 2016 Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5. Will Nissan’s allegations of emissions tampering derail their plans to bring the Qashqai to the U.S.? Stay tuned.

Source: Automotive News

Image source: Nissan UK