It seems like the word “emissions” just won’t go away lately. There’s all that drama with Volkswagen and, back in May of 2016, Germany accused Fiat Chrysler of using a cheating device on the Fiat 500X. After Italian regulators put the 500X under a microscope, it was deemed that there was no such device, but Germany just isn’t taking that for an answer. As we flipped our calendars over to the month of September, Germany was busy at the European Commission and Italian Transport Ministry filing papers that claimed FCA used illegal exhaust manipulation devices on at least three models.

According to Reuters, those models include the Fiat 500X (again,) the Fiat Doblo, and the Jeep Renegade. Furthermore, it is claimed that testing by German authorities could “prove the illegal use of a device to switch off exhaust treatment systems.” Of course, a statement from Fiat was quick to release with claims that all of the brand’s vehicles comply with emissions laws and that there are no cheat devices. For now, sources indicate Italy have yet to receive any communication from the German government, however, that does seem unlikely given Germany’s consistent push that FCA is indeed cheating on emissions.

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Why it Matters

At this point, it really makes you wonder if FCA really is guilty of cheating on emissions. After all, Volkswagen sure did, and why would Germany be pushing the issue so hard if it didn’t have some kind of definitive truth? Then again, in the world we live in today, I wouldn’t put it past any government to do anything it could to extort money from yet another automaker. I mean, look at all of the crazy lawsuits that Volkswagen is currently dealing with. Sure, some of them are just, but others are just outright crazy. With as stringent as some countries are on emissions standards, could it be possible that just about every automaker is cheating on emissions in one way or another as an effort to save money? I wouldn’t put it past any automaker, but what do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.