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The High Court has initiated a significant lawsuit against five major car manufacturers, accused of engaging in emissions test manipulation. Referred to as the “dieselgate” scandal, the trial alleges that these companies utilized software to enable their vehicles to lower emissions of harmful gases specifically during test conditions. This legal case stands as the largest class action lawsuit in the legal history of England and Wales, with a potential involvement of up to 1.6 million car owners. The carmakers under scrutiny in this lawsuit include Mercedes, Ford, Peugeot/Citroën, Renault, and Nissan, all of whom have firmly denied the accusations.
The court has selected these car manufacturers as lead defendants due to the sheer magnitude of the case. Around 220,000 car owners have accused them of deceiving customers with regards to emissions tests. Depending on the verdict of this trial, nine additional carmakers could face similar allegations. Originating in September 2015, the dieselgate scandal was first brought to light when the US Environmental Protection Agency accused Volkswagen of installing defeat devices on diesel cars to manipulate nitrogen oxide emissions levels. The High Court previously ruled in 2020 that Volkswagen violated EU rules by employing defeat devices to pass emissions tests, leading Volkswagen to settle a class action lawsuit out of court by paying £193 million to 91,000 British drivers.
The court is tasked with determining whether the systems implemented by the accused car manufacturers in diesel vehicles were created to deceive clean air regulations. It is alleged that these “defeat devices” permitted vehicles to identify when they were undergoing a test, subsequently operating the engine at reduced power to produce lower nitrogen oxide readings. If the accusations against the carmakers are substantiated, it could represent a severe breach of corporate trust. The lawyers representing the motorists argue that consumers were misled about the environmental friendliness of the vehicles, with many still emitting harmful levels of pollution. A judgement on this case is not anticipated until the summer of 2026, with a potential trial for compensation levels speculated to commence in the autumn of the same year.
Representatives for the car manufacturers involved have maintained that the claims brought against them lack merit. Mercedes defended its mechanisms as being justifiable from both technical and legal perspectives. Renault and Stellantis, the parent company of Peugeot and Citroen, asserted that the sold vehicles complied with regulations at the time. Ford dismissed the claims as baseless, while Nissan reaffirmed its dedication to compliance across all markets in which they operate
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