German marque fined €800m
Audi has been fined €800 million – or about NZ$1,404m – to settle an investigation by German prosecutors into breaches of diesel-emissions rules after the brand admitted its responsibility.
In June, Volkswagen, Audi’s parent company, agreed a €1 billion settlement in Germany over the emissions scandal, which came to light in 2015.
Audi, whose ex-boss Rupert Stadler is being investigated over “dieselgate”, said affected cars spanned 2004-18. Now, in a statement, the company says some V6 and V8 diesel engines were “placed on the market with an impermissible software function”.
Other engines implicated include the widely used EA 288 and EA 189.
In 2015, US investigators discovered some VW diesel cars were fitted with what became known as “defeat devices” to flatter emissions readings during engine tests so the true output of nitrogen oxide was reduced.
The scandal spread across the automotive industry engulfing not just VW and its other brands, but to other car manufacturers.
VW admitted in 2015 to putting defeat device software into 11 million units worldwide. The company’s total costs in fines, buy-backs and refits has now reached €27b.