In a news report release just yesterday in Europe, a German court has ruled that Volkswagen must buy back diesel cars from their owners which were equipped with ‘cheat’ software that evaded emissions testing.
British newspaper www.dailymail.co.uk reports that the German automotive giant must take up over 60,000 claims by Volkswagen owners.
But, the affected Volkswagen diesel car owners must accept the current value of the car based on the mileage they drove since buying it, not their purchase price.
Volkswagen said the decision would clear the way for settlement of remaining consumer claims in Germany.
The decision affects some 60,000 individual claims brought by car owners. Around 262,000 others have already been covered by an €803million (£743million) class-action settlement.
‘For the majority of the 60,000 pending cases, this ruling provides clarity,’ the company said in a statement.
‘Volkswagen is now seeking to bring these proceedings to a prompt conclusion in agreement with the plaintiffs.
‘We will therefore approach the plaintiffs with the adequate settlement proposals. ‘The aim is to relieve the burden on the judiciary as quickly as possible.’
The case that was decided on just this Monday, the 25th of May 2020 which involved a plaintiff who bought a Volkswagen Sharan MPV model in 2014 (pictured below) that was equipped with the software that turned off emissions controls during testing. He had sought the full purchase price but the court ruled he must accept less due to depreciation related to the distance he drove. The individual case is expected to serve as a guideline for others.
Volkswagen was caught cheating by US authorities in September 2015 and has since paid more than €33billion (£28.5billion) in fines and settlements worldwide. Two executives went to prison in the United States and more are facing criminal proceedings and investigations in Germany. The Volkswagen Group still faces lawsuits from investors.
NOTE: Volkswagen in Malaysia did not officially sell the Volkswagen Sharan diesel in Malaysian showrooms. In October 2015, with the Volkswagen diesel crisis at its peak globally, Volkswagen Malaysia office released this statement.
Affected EA189 diesel engines are not sold in Malaysia.
“With the recent news on Volkswagen AG regarding the vehicles emission test in the United States, regaining the trust of consumers and that of the public remains a top priority.
“Volkswagen Malaysia would like to assure their customers in Malaysia that all Volkswagen models assembled and imported by Volkswagen Malaysia are not affected as we have not been selling any vehicles with EA 189 diesel engines in Malaysia.
“We will provide global updates as we are able.”
