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For emissions control suppliers, VW diesel scandal is good news

Falling Platinum Prices Don't Hurt, Either

In the "making Lemonade out of lemons" department, European makers of emissions control and catalytic systems are seeing their stock prices rise in the wake of Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal, Reuters says. Investment bankers and money managers are touting companies such as Johnson Matthey, Faurecia, Umicore and ElringKlinger. Shares of some of those companies jumped more than 25 percent since the scandal broke last month.

Despite the scandal, demand for diesel-powered vehicles is expected to continue in Europe because of the powertrain's superior fuel economy. Additionally, a new version of nitrogen-oxide testing is slated to start in 2016, while prices for platinum, which is required for catalytic systems, have dropped. All of this put together is helping to make the emissions control companies more valuable.

However much they may benefit, though, VW and other diesel-vehicle makers such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW may continue to suffer. That's because governments around the world are calling for heightened diesel-emissions testing procedures that better simulate real-world driving conditions. And according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), that alone could cause costs associated with making diesel vehicles to spike and negate the fuel-economy advantages that drive demand in the first place.

Regulators in VW's home country of Germany have demanded a recall of 2.4 million vehicles whose software has been programmed to under report emissions level. Such "cheating" software has been installed in as many as 11 million vehicles worldwide. VW, whose CEO resigned last month because of the scandal, has set aside $7.3 billion to address the issue.

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