Porsche Accused Of Cheating Cayman R UK CO2 Emissions Test

Porsche has been accused of manipulating emissions tests of the Cayman R in the United Kingdom to help its customers avoid paying additional taxes.

The Times reports that the German manufacturer started the vehicle’s UK carbon dioxide emissions test in second gear rather than first. Consequently, the sports car was certified as emitting 221g/km of CO2 in the UK instead of 228g/km like in the rest of Europe.

While the difference between those two may sound minor, the lower number means Cayman Rs in the UK sit in the band “K” rather than the band “L” tax bracket. Currently, cars in band K are required to pay £315 ($426) in tax per year rather than the £540 ($731) than those in L.

Another case of a VW brand falsifying emissions tests?

Porsche’s manipulation of results was uncovered by the legal team of a Cayman R owner who sued the manufacturer in 2011 for a defect with his vehicle.

Porsche ultimately settled this claim, but the owner inquired the automaker about information for the vehicle’s emissions and also asked the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) for all relevant data. Porsche and the VCA initially refused to disclose the data, but asserted at a Freedom of Information tribunal that the irregularities with the Cayman R’s emissions in the UK compared with Europe were due to different taxation regimes.

Even though it’s nowhere near as serious or widespread as the dieselgate, if true, then that’s a case of a Group company knowingly misleading authorities and customers on its emissions yet again. Porsche, which was also involved in dieselgate, says that it is unable to comment further on the issue due to “ongoing legal proceedings.”