German high-end carmaker BMW on Friday recalled thousands of diesel cars for a software update, after reports it had admitted to authorities they released more harmful emissions on the road than in the lab.

BMW "noticed during internal testing that correctly programmed software was wrongly used in a few models that were not compatible," the group said in a statement.

The Munich-based company "immediately informed the relevant authorities... (and) therefore plans to recall 11,700 vehicles worldwide," it added.

"Niche motor variants of an already discontinued generation of the 5-series and 7-series built between 2012 and 2017" were affected, BMW said.

Der Spiegel magazine reported earlier Friday that BMW had admitted to the KBA vehicle licensing authority that some of its cars included software that could mislead regulatory tests for levels of harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Suspicion fell on the entire German car industry after Volkswagen -- parent company of BMW competitor Audi -- admitted in September 2011 that it deliberately built such "defeat device" software into 11 million cars worldwide.

But BMW has so far been able to trumpet clean diesel credentials.

After the KBA recently found no issues with a 3-series car that environmental activists had suggested might include a defeat device, development chief Klaus Froehlich stated baldly that "vehicles from the BMW group were not manipulated. Our diesel engines are clean."

On Friday, a spokesman for the company told Spiegel that "we do not consider the software to be a 'defeat device'."

The offending software had been "mistakenly" loaded into cars with a different system for removing harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) from the exhaust than originally intended, the group said in its later statement.

"Corrected software will be made available for these vehicles after approval by the relevant authorities," BMW said.

BMW plans electric Mini production in China
Frankfurt Am Main (AFP) Feb 23, 2018 - German auto giant BMW said Friday it plans to build an electric version of its compact Mini in China, in a possible joint venture with local partner Great Wall.

The Munich-based group is in "advanced discussions" aimed at "a new joint venture in China", it said in a statement, adding that the two firms had signed a so-called letter of intent about the project.

If plans to build the Mini in China go ahead, it would be the first time the unmistakeable cars -- originally created by a British company -- have been built outside Europe.

But BMW and Great Wall have yet to agree on important details like where to build a factory and how much to invest.

China is the fourth-largest market for the Mini after Britain, the United States and Germany.

Some 35,000 were sold there in 2017, or around one in ten sales worldwide.

BMW follows a maxim that "production follows the market", making China ripe for investment in local manufacturing.

Reaching 560,000 units in 2017, Chinese sales of BMW-brand cars -- produced locally under a joint venture with carmaker Brilliance -- outweighed shipments in other major markets the United States and Germany combined.

"A similar growth strategy could accelerate development of the Mini brand significantly," BMW said.

It added that it would continue talks with Great Wall "without questioning BMW Group's commitment in the UK," where production of electric Minis is slated to begin at an Oxford plant next year.

The firm added that it would "further expand" its joint venture with Brilliance, but did not offer further details.

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Prosecutors raid former Audi board members in diesel probe
Frankfurt Am Main (AFP) Feb 22, 2018
German prosecutors said Thursday they had raided the homes of three people including two former board members at luxury carmaker Audi, the third search this year related to diesel emissions cheating at the Volkswagen subsidiary. "There is suspicion that the accused were partly responsible for at least a significant proportion of vehicles introduced into circulation with manipulative exhaust management software," prosecutors in the Bavarian capital said in a statement. It is the first time that f ... read more