Carmakers Face Landmark Trial Over Emissions Cheat Allegations

Carmakers Face Landmark Trial Over Emissions Cheat Allegations

 

 

LONDON — A landmark lawsuit accusing five major carmakers of cheating on emissions tests opened Monday at the High Court, marking the UK’s biggest-ever class action and a new chapter in the global “dieselgate” scandal.

Mercedes, Ford, Peugeot/Citroën, Renault and Nissan stand accused of fitting their diesel vehicles with illegal software designed to fake lower emissions during testing. The manufacturers deny wrongdoing, arguing that their systems were lawful and essential to engine performance.

 

Opening arguments from Thomas De La Mare KC, representing nearly 900,000 car owners, accused the automakers of deciding they would “rather cheat than comply with the law.” He cited evidence that the alleged deception had catastrophic public health consequences, pointing to research linking excess nitrogen oxide emissions to 124,000 premature deaths and 98,000 new cases of childhood asthma across Europe and the UK between 2009 and 2024.

 

Lawyers for the carmakers pushed back forcefully. Alexander Antelme KC, representing Renault, called the claims “without merit and untenable,” insisting that the accused features were “appropriate and necessary elements of a well-designed diesel engine.” Neil Moody KC, for Ford, described the lawsuit as “scientifically illiterate” and said the suggestion of an industry-wide conspiracy was “implausible.”

 

The original dieselgate scandal erupted in 2015 when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency exposed Volkswagen for installing “defeat devices” — software that activated pollution controls only during lab tests. On real roads, the systems shut off, causing diesel cars to emit nitrogen dioxide at levels many times higher than legal limits. Volkswagen admitted deliberate deception, paying more than £26 billion in global fines and compensation.

The current UK trial could see damages claims involving up to 1.6 million motorists if the initial case against the five carmakers succeeds. Nine additional manufacturers face similar lawsuits pending the outcome of this round.

 

Outside the High Court, environmental activists from Mums for Lungs gathered with banners demanding “Clean Air Now.” Among them was Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, mother of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah — the nine-year-old girl whose 2013 death was the first in Britain to list air pollution as a cause.

“This isn’t just about cars — it’s about the right to breathe clean air,” Adoo-Kissi-Debrah said, as proceedings began inside.

In 2020, the High Court ruled Volkswagen had indeed used defeat devices in violation of EU rules. The company later settled out of court with 91,000 British drivers for £193 million — a fraction of the €32 billion it has since paid worldwide.

 

Now, campaigners hope the new trial will establish broader accountability across the auto industry — and finally determine whether dieselgate was an isolated scandal or a systemic betrayal.

 

Key takeaways:

• Five major carmakers — Mercedes, Ford, Peugeot/Citroën, Renault and Nissan — are on trial for alleged emissions test cheating.

• The class action, involving 880,000 claimants, could expand to 1.6 million car owners.

• Activists and victims’ families rallied outside court, demanding justice over air pollution deaths.

 

Original Source BBC