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Lately, there are daily headlines in Germany accusing automakers of various evils. It’s not enough that they are charged with rigging the emissions data on their cars and of being members of a “cartel” that discusses issues such as setting a sensible maximum vehicle velocity at which convertible tops open. They now face potential antitrust investigations. Now, the police department in the mid-size town of Mannheim has seized the moment to call out the exhaust systems of performance cars. Police chief Dieter Schäfer snitched to the authorities at the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), the agency responsible for certifying that vehicles comply with regulations, about the noise made by cars with sport exhaust modes.
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Referring to exhaust flaps, which keep performance cars quiet and in compliance with noise regulations at moderate loads but open up when drivers step on the throttle or select a performance driving mode, the police chief said, “We can’t have something certified that makes a large amount of noise in real life.”
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Using the technology to keep cars quiet in compliance with the country’s strict noise standards when they’re being driven slowly in urban areas, while allowing enhanced performance on the open highway, is a common practice here—but the KBA was reported to have assiduously promised to “look into the matter.” If the KBA retroactively finds wrongdoing, carmakers including Mercedes-AMG, BMW M, Porsche, and Audi Sport may be subject to heavy penalties. And owners may face the prospect of quieter performance cars, when and if carmakers are required to stop using this method of complying with regulations.
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- The Physics of Engine Notes: Why a Toyota V-6 and a Porsche Flat-Six Sound So Different
- Watch: Volkswagen’s Golf R 400 Sounds Positively Filthy
- Give ’em the Boot: Mercedes-AMG Audio Files Stoke the Drag Racer’s Heart
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Artificial sounds, which some automakers have started playing through their cars’ audio systems, may provide a solution—and may even open the door to other possibilities. A 242-hp Kia Optima GT we recently drove in Europe sounded like any old sleepy four-banger from the outside, but its stereo system piped in noises that more resembled the throaty bass note of a V-8. It’s one way to stay in regulatory compliance while providing drivers with auditory thrills. Heck, even an electric-car driver could enjoy the sounds of a high-revving V-12 in the cabin. At least until authorities decide to regulate the noises inside our cars.
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