Renault is to recall 15,000 new vehicles after coming under the spotlight as part of an ongoing crackdown on harmful emissions.
French energy minister Segolene Royal said that the cars were being recalled before going on sale after three of the manufacturer’s plants were raided by fraud investigators last week.
The searches, which aimed to determine whether or not Renault was bypassing emissions tests in the same way Volkswagen was found to have done last year, knocked billions of euros off its market value.
However, both Renault and authorities were keen to stress that the manufacturer was fully co-operating with investigators and was not guilty of using devices to alter its emissions data.
In spite of this, some of Renault’s cars were found to have failed pollution tests after the raids, with the company now devising a plan to ensure that its vehicles can pass real world emissions tests.
"Renault hasn't cheated"
The energy minister said that tests based on real driving conditions, with variations in road type and temperature yielded much higher emissions readings than those of controlled laboratory tests.
“Renault has committed to recalling a certain number of vehicles, more than 15,000 vehicles, to check them and adjust them correctly so the filtration system works even when it is very hot or when it is below 17 degrees, because that's when the filtration system no longer worked,” she added.
Thierry Koskas, Renault’s sales director, said “very firmly” that Renault did not cheat, making efforts to clearly differentiate between its issues and those affecting the Volkswagen Group.
He said: “We are not using any software or other methods. In test conditions, we respect emissions norms.
"But when we are no longer in test conditions, there is indeed a difference between real conditions and control conditions, that is a fact. I don’t think the current situation will have any consequences, Renault hasn’t cheated.”