A number of weeks have passed since Volkswagen admitted to cheating on emissions tests on its cars in the USA. Volkswagen had been trying to introduce their diesel engines into the US Market which has always had a love affair with petrol engines. Volkswagen claimed that their diesel engines had very low emissions and were clean, thereby dispelling the common view that diesel is a dirty fuel.
There was a suspicion in the US of the very low emission results from Volkswagen cars and the US authorities carried out investigations into these results. It became known that the low emissions claims being made by Volkswagen were incorrect. Volkswagen has now accepted that during testing their cars disclosed emissions that were far more favourable than those actually produced by the cars. This was being achieved with the use of special software in the cars which was able to detect when the car was being tested and would conceal or understated the actual emissions outputs of the cars.
It now appears that this software was fitted to various models of cars within the Volkswagen Audi Group; Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda and SEAT. It may transpire that other manufacturers in Europe have also been misleading in the emissions levels they claim their cars produce.
The revelation of this cheating on emissions tests has caused consternation for motorists who are claiming that they were mis-sold products.
Volkswagen admitted to the German Government that the software that they used in the US is also being used in cars in Europe.
So why have motorists not begun to commence court proceedings against Volkswagen in Europe? In order to commence a claim, you must establish that you have been wronged and as a result of this wrong, you have suffered a loss. The problem that motorists have at the moment is that they cannot identify what exact loss they have. Many motoring articles refer to the possibility of lower amounts being offered for resale of the affected units.
There is also the possible issue of People are also potentially calling about misleading advertising or misleading selling. These are all potential claims but as of yet, no actual claims have begun. That is not to say that car manufacturers in Europe may not be subject to multiple claims throughout the European Union and in Ireland.
For the time being the situation has to be monitored to see what developments take place in the US and across mainland Europe. This is evolving on a daily basis and we will endeavour to vindicate the rights of those who are affected.
We have built up knowledge so as to ensure that if anything does arise, which amounts to a loss, we will be prepared to represent our clients against any car manufacturer who has acted wrongly.