The Dutch Car Claim Foundation is filing a claim on behalf of duped car owners against the car manufacturers Peugeot, Opel, Citroën and DS. The brands are accused of using cheating software in diesel cars. According to the foundation, the claim could amount to 3 billion euros.
The foundation, known for a similar lawsuit against Volkswagen, states on the basis of various research reports and emissions tests that the diesel cars of Peugeot, Citroën, DS and Opel also contain prohibited cheating software. It would be about 300,000 vehicles in the Netherlands alone.
In the collective legal proceedings, the Dutch foundation represents all motorists in the Netherlands who bought or leased a manipulated diesel car in the period from September 1, 2009 to September 1, 2019. The proceedings are also directed against the Dutch importer and dealers. The Dutch parent company Stellantis, which arose from a merger between PSA (Puegeot/Citroën/DS, Opel), Fiat and Chrysler/Jeep, is also being summoned.
At the end of November, the foundation also filed a mass claim for cheating software against the French Renault and the Romanian Dacia, both part of the Renault-Nissan alliance. There have been many mass claims against the car industry abroad for years because of the diesel scandal.
In France, Peugeot and Citroën are now being prosecuted, while Opel recently reached a settlement of millions in Germany to prevent this. Volkswagen has awarded many damages in the US and Germany, but not in the Netherlands.
VW has already rushed to switch to fully electric cars
The cheating diesel scandal at the German Volkswagen came to light in 2015. Volkswagen then admitted to rigging emissions testing on a large scale with cheating software, making diesel cars appear cleaner than they actually were during the analysis by authorities. The issue has already cost the car company many billions in fines and repair costs. And Volkswagen felt compelled to switch to fully electric cars faster than intended.
In the Netherlands, the judge ruled in July in a case of the Car Claim Foundation against Volkswagen, software supplier Bosch, importer Pon and Dutch car dealers that buyers of cheating diesels are entitled to a total of hundreds of millions of euros in compensation. An appeal is currently pending in this case.
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