New dieselgate
It seems incredible but we're talking about dieselgate again. After the 2015 scandal that affected the US and European markets, this time it's South Korea, the country victim of scams by some car companies.
The country's antitrust has fined more than 42.3 billion South Korean won (about 31.2 million euros) on three German automakers, namely Mercedes , BMW and Audi , accused of cooperating with each other to adjust the data on diesel vehicle emissions.
According to the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), the three companies met in June 2006 to develop a preventive strategy, in view of the tightening of regulations in various countries for nitrogen oxide emissions. During this meeting, the three manufacturers allegedly agreed on the use of software which, selectively, could falsify the data on the release of harmful emissions.
The three German brands had agreed that no company produces greener diesel cars. They have limited competition for the development of innovative clean technologies and consumers' choice to buy cleaner cars,” said Shin Dong-yeol, head of the investigations division of the KFTC.
In light of what emerged from the investigation, the antitrust fined Mercedes-Benz Korea for about 20.7 billion won, while BMW Korea and the Audi brand for the Volkswagen brand Korea, were fined 15.6 billion won and 6 billion won respectively.
However, the Mercedes-Benz fine was suspended because, according to a spokesman for the brand, the house fully collaborated with the KFTC. The company stressed that it has not shared any information about the price, production volume or other commercial strategies of its cars with rivals.
No comment instead came from BMW Korea and Volkswagen Korea
We remind you that also in 2021 , the European Union had discovered and sanctioned the Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and BMW brands over secret agreements to limit the development of emission control systems. Daimler, the manufacturer of the Mercedes and Smart brands, also took part in the agreement, but was exempt from the fine for revealing the agreement to the European Commission.