Volkswagen to fit ‘GPF’ petrol particulate filters from 2017

Volkswagen is to fit exhaust filters to petrol cars, even though they don't need them. What emissions scandal?

Volkswagen TSI range to get GPF filtersThe new, ultra-green, post-dieselgate Volkswagen is to roll out a new eco initiative: fitting GPF petrol particulate filters to petrol-engined cars.

The GPFs – that’s gasoline particulate filter – will go on sale from 2017 and eventually be fitted to all TSI and TFSI turbo petrol engines. By 2022, that could total seven million Volkswagen Group engines a year.

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The first engines to get a GPF will be the Volkswagen Tiguan’s 1.4-litre TFSI and the new Audi A5 Coupe’s 2.0-litre TFSI. Other variants will follow as cars and engines are renewed.

Of course, goes the common assumption, petrol engines don’t need particulate filters. That’s technology only those dirty diesels require .

But Volkswagen is on a green crusade, to put right its emissions wrongs. By fitting GPFs to TSI petrol engines, particulates can be cut from their already-low level by a further 90%.

And if you think this is going to cost it a fortune, think of the expense of fitting extensive SCR catalytic converter tech to all diesels – yet that’s what it has committed to do.

Of course, had these expensive exhaust filters been fitted to Volkswagen Group’s US-market models in the first place, the whole dieselgate scandal, and its billions of pounds of costs, could have been avoided…

The Volkswagen GPF commitment is Group-wide, too: models from Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT and Skoda will all get them.

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Richard Aucock
Richard Aucockhttps://www.richardaucock.co.uk/
Richard is director at Motoring Research. He has been with us since 2001, and has been a motoring journalist even longer. He won the IMCO Motoring Writer of the Future Award in 1996 and the acclaimed Sir William Lyons Award in 1998. Both awards are run by the Guild of Motoring Writers and Richard is currently vice chair of the world's largest organisation for automotive media professionals. Richard is also a juror and Steering Committee director for World Car Awards and the UK juror for the AUTOBEST awards.

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