Some BMW diesel cars exceed EU pollution limits by 11 times

Some diesel cars of high-end automaker BMW produce dangerous gases that exceed EU anti-pollution limits by up to 11 times, German weekly Auto Bild reported on Thursday.

The claim came as Germany's powerful car industry was reeling over revelations that auto giant Volkswagen had installed software in up to 11 million cars that could cheat pollution tests.

"Volkswagen is not the only carmaker whose cars produce high levels of nitrogen oxide," said the magazine, accusing certain vehicles of the BMW group of the same.

It quoted road tests carried out by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) which found that BMW's X3 xDrive equipped with 20d diesel motors produce gas emissions that are 11 times higher than European limits.

"All these data show that the problem is not specific to VW," Peter Mock from ICCT was quoted as saying.

The ICCT had been at the origin of the stunning revelations of cheating by Volkswagen, which went public last Friday when the United States announced a probe.

Amid investor jitters over the widening VW scandal, the report immediately sent BMW shares down by almost 10%, to an intraday low of 72.05 euros in late morning trade.