Five automakers are facing a massive class-action-lawsuit trial in the United Kingdom after about 1.6 million diesel-vehicle owners claimed compensation for manipulation of the vehicles to cheat on emissions tests. It’s eerily similar to what went down with Volkswagen over a decade ago.
Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Renault, Nissan and Stellantis are now part of a trial over the alleged diesel “defeat devices,” and all five maintain their innocence, according to Bloomberg. The trial covers vehicles built between 2012 and 2017, and it’s expected to run until March of 2026. Then the judges will decide whether the manufacturers must offer compensation. If so, there will be a separate trial to determine how much compensation is appropriate.
Defeat devices detect when vehicles are being tested for emissions, and ensure nitrogen oxide emissions were kept within legal limits under testing conditions, according to Reuters. Once testing is over, the cars are free to spew as much pollution as they’d like. The claimants’ lawyers say the emissions were far higher when the cars were actually on the road — in some cases, 12 times the test limits.
If the trial doesn’t go their way, these five automakers could be out billions of pounds (dollars, if you believe in freedom). It would be similar to the more than $30 billion Volkswagen has had to pay out over Dieselgate. The ruling in this case could also end up setting a precedent for similar cases against nine other automakers in the UK and others in mainland Europe, Bloomberg reports.
Automakers maintain their innocence
As you may imagine, the quintet of automakers involved with this trial aren’t exactly thrilled to be here. Lawyers for Mercedes-Benz said the claims were defective and didn’t hang together, and representatives of Renault and Nissan argued that what they are accused of is “unsupported by the facts,” according to Bloomberg. Stellantis said its vehicles and engines are compliant with the emissions regulations, and spokespeople for Ford, Renault and Nissan all separately denied the allegations.
“Fourteen of the biggest car manufacturers operating in the UK are facing these claims which, if proven, would demonstrate one of the most egregious breaches of corporate trust in modern times,” according to Leigh Day’s senior partner Martyn Day.
The claimants’ lawyers value the current group of claims at nearly $8 billion, according to Reuters. Sure, that’s a far cry from the over $30 billion VW was responsible for, but it’s not exactly a small chunk of change. It’s a lot more than the $242 million Volkswagen had to shell out in 2022 in another UK diesel cheating scandal.
