EU legal adviser says VW software is banned ‘defeat device’

BRUSSELS (AP) — A top European Union legal adviser says software installed in Volkswagen cars to alter the amount of pollutants coming out of their exhaust pipes in hot or cold weather and at high altitude contravenes EU laws. The legal opinion could be a new blow to Volkswagen in the “Dieselgate” scandal. Austrian courts asked the European Court of Justice to rule whether the software is a “defeat device” that could cheat car emissions tests. The advocate general said Thursday that this is the case because “the software at issue reduces the effectiveness of the emission control system in normal vehicle operation and use.” His legal opinion is not binding, but Europe’s top court follows such advice in most cases.