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The latest diesel dish
With its ruling today, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) considers all defeat devices in vehicles to be illegal if the pollutant emissions in normal road use are higher than the values on the test bench.
The latest diesel dish
“The automotive industry is now threatened with a record wave of recalls and lawsuits,” said lawyer Claus Goldenstein, owner of the law firm of the same name, commenting on today’s ECJ ruling. Goldenstein represents more than 24,600 clients in the emissions scandal, including around 2,000 Austrians. "It has long been clear that it is not only Volkswagen that has manipulated its own automobiles. Other large car manufacturers such as Daimler, BMW, Volvo and Fiat have also installed defeat devices in their vehicles," said the lawyer. With the latest ruling, these defeat devices are now clearly illegal - despite the manufacturers' argument that they serve to protect the engine. However, the ECJ judges did not follow this argument. A shutdown device is only permitted if without it the engine would suffer immediate damage or important functions such as steering would fail. Goldenstein is of the opinion that vehicle owners affected by the emissions scandal can now claim payment of the full purchase price of their vehicle from the respective manufacturer and return their car in return. Alternatively, there would also be the option of continuing to use the vehicle and claiming part of the purchase price as compensation.