A new lawsuit has just been filed against Porsche. It alleges that Porsche gets lower fuel economy and higher emissions than the company advertises. It takes in both the iconic 911 and Panamera. The plaintiff alleges he suffered “damage in the form of overpayment and diminished value.” Is Porsche lying about emissions and mileage?

The lawsuit lists 911 and Panamera cars built between 2009-2016

In the lawsuit, it claims Porsche manipulated them to fool the regulators and consumers into believing the cars met carbon dioxide (CO2) standards for emissions. Porsche has already been involved with the German Federal Motor Transport Authority for gasoline engines manufactured between 2008 and 2013. The lawsuit lists 911 and Panamera cars built between 2009-2016.

There have been concerns that Porsche used different hardware and software to get the 911 and Panamera emissions certified. The lawsuit alleges that Porsche had modified gear ratios installed rather than what they come with from the factory. This from CarComplaints. It also says that these 911s and Panameras have emissions beyond what is legal to sell because “hardware changes delivered up to an 8% reduction in CO2 emissions in test vehicles.”

Total Porsche production affected is around 135,000

The Panamera debuted in the US in 2009 as a 2010 model. So this lawsuit covers all Panameras built up to 2017. That takes in almost 70,000 vehicles. As for the 911 models in the lawsuit we’re talking about almost 70,000 of those as well. So total Porsche production affected is around 135,000. 

Porsche’s 911 water-cooled era started clear back in 1998. But the lawsuit encompasses 911 engines that changed to direct injection in 2009. New air filters and a better breathing exhaust system were also new. There were three different exhaust systems for different countries. The US version was said to be the loudest of the three. Porsche also found a way to reduce engine friction from previous engines. 

The lawsuit targets this new version of the opposed-six cylinder engine

The Carrera received a 3.8-liter flat-six engine with 345 hp, increased by 20 hp over the previous year. Mileage was listed at 24 mpg for the Carrera and 23 mpg for the Carrera S model. This was a 15% improvement from the previous engine. So the lawsuit targets this new version of the opposed-six cylinder engine.

In some respects, it looks like this lawsuit just mirrors the German Federal Motor Transport Authority investigation. Since the outcome of that investigation has not been determined it might be premature for this lawsuit to be filed. Porsche has not had time to respond so we’ll have to wait and see where this leads.