OEMs ‘face 1.2m defeat device payouts’
11 December 2023
Car manufacturers are facing more than 1.2m compensation claims from motorists surrounding ‘defeat devices’ fitted to diesel vehicles, judges were told last week.
The scale of the litigation may be “unprecedented,” could go on for years and see legal costs run into “billions of pounds”.
A pre-trial High Court hearing in London revealed Mercedes-Benz is facing around 350k claims and other brands including Vauxhall Opel, Nissan, JLR, Ford, Volvo, Hyundai, Toyota and Mazda were defendants in a group legal action.
Earlier this year, Lawyers said the claims against Mercedes-Benz alone could be worth £3bn. It has since been suggested the Mercedes-Benz case could be the “lead” case.
A Mercedes-Benz spokesperson said the brand would “mount a vigorous defence”.
The litigation involves 1.25 million claimants and around 1,500 defendants, once retailers are included.
Tags:
Why Subscribe?
As an auto retail executive you need insightful and unique industry intelligence to boost your business potential. Here’s a taste of what Auto Retail Network has to offer:
- Get informed and boost your business potential
- More than 1,200 fellow executives have joined us since launch
- Independent, carefully crafted, unique content relevant to you and your business
- Develop a greater awareness of market trends and opportunities
- Access to a wide range of materials whenever, wherever and however you want it
- Significant discounts on ARN events, reports and other publications
