Environmentalist transport NGO welcomes back diesel in eco-friendly car ranking

The German transport NGO Transport Club Germany (VCD) has been one of the most vocal critics of German car companies in the ongoing dieselgate emissions fraud scandal, but now it has re-included diesel vehicles in its ranking of eco-friendly cars. New diesel cars complying with Euro 6d-Temp emissions standard “are clean not only on the test stand but also on the road,” the VCD said. VCD head Wasilis von Rauch said that local air pollution with nitrogen oxide (NOx) remains the dominant concern, “but the biggest problem globally is the climate crisis,” which is why cars with low fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions were needed. The transport club warned against buying regular Euro 6 diesel cars as these might also be affected by the “bitter but necessary driving bans,” adding that German carmakers “still do not act in a transparent manner and throw dirty and climate-damaging cars on the market en masse” three years after the diesel emissions scandal made the first headlines.

Read the press release in German here.