Porsche is unaffected by VW's emissions-cheating scandal
Especially Porsche, the high-performance jewel-in-the-crown of the automaker.
But the highly profitable sports car and SUV manufacturer has emerged unscathed, a company source told Business Insider.
"Porsche conducts our own emissions testing and calibration," the spokesperson said. "We are not affected by VW's problem."
In the US, the only Porsche powered by a VW Group TDI engine is the Cayenne Diesel SUV. And it's a 3.0-liter V6, while the engines affected by the scandal are 2.0-liter 4-cylinder powerplants.
The diesel Cayenne is powered by a larger 3.0 liter V6 unit that incorporates urea scrubbing technology that cleans the SUV's exhaust.
Last week, the EPA accused VW of using the hidden software - called a "defeat device" - to dodge clean-air standards during emissions testing.
The EPA alleges that VW installed software that detects when the car is undergoing emissions testing, at which point the software would turn on all of the car's emissions control systems. But the EPA claims that the software greatly reduces the cars' pollution-control systems during normal driving conditions.
"This results in cars that meet emissions standards in the laboratory or testing station, but during normal operation, emit nitrogen oxides, or NOx, at up to 40 times the standard," the EPA said in a statement.
Diesel engines make only a small contribution to Porsche's US sales strategy. Of the more than 16,200 Cayennes the company sold in the US last year, only about 10%, or roughly 1,600, were diesels. This numbers are are on a similar pace in 2015.