Frankfurt (AFP)
Settlement in sight for the largest trial "dieselgate" in Germany: Volkswagen and an association representing some 400,000 customers reached an agreement Friday, which could see the manufacturer pay nearly a billion euros.
"At the end of several days of negotiation", the two parties "concluded an agreement" announced Friday the court of Brunswick, where had opened at the end of September this mega-hearing on the scandal of the rigged engines.
As these discussions were held outside any judicial framework, the trial can only end if the applications against Volkswagen are withdrawn.
The applicants, brought together in this first German "model procedure", similar to an American "class action", requested compensation for their cars fitted with fake diesel engines.
The automotive group is accused of deliberately harming its customers by installing software without their knowledge, making vehicles appear less polluting than they actually were.
Pending the details given by the two parties at 12:00 GMT, the agreement could see Volkswagen reimburse its customers to the tune of 830 million euros.
- 30 billion euros -
Such was in any case the substance of an agreement initially negotiated, but which failed two weeks ago due to a disagreement on the remuneration of lawyers and the terms of payment of compensation.
The car group and the VZBV then accused each other of being responsible for the "failure" of the talks. But the manufacturer offered reimbursements to its customers even without the support of the association.
This drawer scandal dates back to September 2015, when the German automobile giant admitted having equipped 11 million vehicles with fake software, and haunts from the German automobile industry.
Without amicable resolution, this first major consumer trial in Germany was to last at least until 2023.
The amount of 830 million euros may seem relatively modest compared to the 30 billion euros that dieselgate has already cost the German manufacturer.
Most of this sum - legal fees, fines and compensation - has so far been spent in the United States, in particular to compensate customers for the recovery of their vehicles.
In Germany, the manufacturer has so far paid only three fines totaling 2.3 billion euros and denies having caused damage to motorists.
- Cascade of procedures -
However, he remains under the threat of a cascade of both civil and criminal procedures, in particular individual claims for compensation, part of which has resulted in friendly settlements.
Several group leaders, including current CEO Herbert Diess and the chairman of the supervisory board, Hans Dieter Pötsch, as well as former boss Martin Winterkorn and former boss of the Audi brand Rupert Stadler, are under investigation.
Porsche offices were raided again last week by investigators, according to the weekly Der Spiegel.
In a lawsuit launched a year ago, investors are demanding compensation for the dramatic drop in the share price in the days following the revelations.
In France, a Dutch foundation launched a class action against Volkswagen at the end of January.
Beyond the legal front, the scandal has accelerated the decline of diesel and diesel cars risk being banned from several German cities because of their level of nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution.
Volkswagen is trying to turn the page by investing more than 30 billion euros in the electric car in the race to meet strict European standards for CO2 emissions.
© 2020 AFP