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Air pollution

Dieselgate Scandal: Car Makers Accused of Putting Sales Ahead of Pollution

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A major trial began in London's High Court yesterday, marking the start of a potentially massive lawsuit against some of the world's biggest car makers. The trial, set to last three months, is the biggest legal action of its kind in English history, with claims valued at around £6 billion. The lawsuit accuses five manufacturers - Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Nissan, Renault, and Stellantis-owned Peugeot and Citroen - of installing "defeat devices" in their vehicles to cheat diesel emissions tests.

Key Takeaways:

  • The trial will focus on a small sample of vehicles produced by the five manufacturers, with the court's ruling to be binding on hundreds of thousands of similar claims against other makers.
  • The claimants, representing 1.6 million owners of diesel vehicles, allege that the manufacturers used illegal "defeat devices" to alter the amount of harmful emissions produced by their vehicles.
  • The manufacturers claim that the allegations are flawed and that there is no similarity with the VW scandal, despite Volkswagen being the first to be accused in 2015.
  • Campaigner Rosamund Adoo-KissiDebrah, whose daughter Ella died of an asthma attack in 2013 due to air pollution, was in attendance at the Royal Courts of Justice.
  • Adam Kamenetzky, who bought a Mercedes SUV in 2018 on the premise it was clean and green, also attended the trial, backing the court action.

Statistics:

  • The current group of claims is valued at around £6 billion.
  • The trial is set to last three months.
  • 1.6 million owners of diesel vehicles are represented by the claimants.
  • Hundreds of thousands of similar claims against other makers are expected to be affected by the court's ruling.
  • The first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as cause of death was Ella Adoo-KissiDebrah, whose mother Rosamund was in attendance at the trial.

Sources:

  • "High Court to hear claims of £6bn against 5 car makers over dieselgate" by The Mirror.
  • No additional sources were mentioned in the original text.

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