Audi Volkswagen Taiwan Co (奧迪福斯汽車) has been fined NT$5 million (US$153,130) over false advertising in relation to the emissions levels of two of its models, the Fair Trade Commission said yesterday.
Advertisements in an Audi Volkswagen Taiwan catalogue claimed that its SUV Caddy Maxi met the EU5 emission standards in Europe, while its A6 Sedan Avant met the EU6 emission standard.
That data was obtained by rigging the vehicles’ software, which meant the company had engaged in unfair competition, the commission said.
The advertisements breached Article 21 of the Fair Trade Act (公平交易法) on unfair competition, and Article 38 of the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣污染防制法), which stipulates a specific procedure for automobile companies to verify vehicle emissions levels, the commission said in a news release.
Therefore, Audi Volkswagen Taiwan has been fined NT$5 million, the commission said.
In March, Audi Volkswagen Taiwan started a recall of 18,700 vehicles, including its 2-liter and 1.6-liter diesel cars, but it was not clear whether the two models pinpointed by the commission were included.
A scandal over Volkswagen emissions emerged in September last year when the US Environmental Protection Agency said that the company had been rigging its vehicles’ software for emissions testing, including over nitrogen oxide output.
An estimated 11 million vehicles worldwide made by the German company were affected by the US scandal.
Anna Bhobho, a 31-year-old housewife from rural Zimbabwe, was once a silent observer in her home, excluded from financial and family decisionmaking in the deeply patriarchal society. Today, she is a driver of change in her village, thanks to an electric tricycle she owns. In many parts of rural sub-Saharan Africa, women have long been excluded from mainstream economic activities such as operating public transportation. However, three-wheelers powered by green energy are reversing that trend, offering financial opportunities and a newfound sense of importance. “My husband now looks up to me to take care of a large chunk of expenses,
SECTOR LEADER: TSMC can increase capacity by as much as 20 percent or more in the advanced node part of the foundry market by 2030, an analyst said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to lead its peers in the advanced 2-nanometer process technology, despite competition from Samsung Electronics Co and Intel Corp, TrendForce Corp analyst Joanne Chiao (喬安) said. TSMC’s sophisticated products and its large production scale are expected to allow the company to continue dominating the global 2-nanometer process market this year, Chiao said. The world’s largest contract chipmaker is scheduled to begin mass production of chips made on the 2-nanometer process in its Hsinchu fab in the second half of this year. It would also hold a ceremony on Monday next week to
TECH CLUSTER: The US company’s new office is in the Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City, a new AI industry base and cybersecurity hub in southern Taiwan US chip designer Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) yesterday launched an office in Tainan’s Gueiren District (歸仁), marking a significant milestone in the development of southern Taiwan’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry, the Tainan City Government said in a statement. AMD Taiwan general manager Vincent Chern (陳民皓) presided over the opening ceremony for the company’s new office at the Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City (沙崙智慧綠能科學城), a new AI industry base and cybersecurity hub in southern Taiwan. Facilities in the new office include an information processing center, and a research and development (R&D) center, the Tainan Economic Development Bureau said. The Ministry
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday signed a letter of intent with Alaska Gasline Development Corp (AGDC), expressing an interest to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) and invest in the latter’s Alaska LNG project, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement. Under the agreement, CPC is to participate in the project’s upstream gas investment to secure stable energy resources for Taiwan, the ministry said. The Alaska LNG project is jointly promoted by AGDC and major developer Glenfarne Group LLC, as Alaska plans to export up to 20 million tonnes of LNG annually from 2031. It involves constructing an 1,290km