Stellantis, the parent company of Opel, Peugeot, Citroën, and DS, has used cheat software to make the emission figures of diesel cars appear lower. That is the verdict of the Amsterdam court on Wednesday. In 2015, similar software was discovered in diesels at Volkswagen.
The reason for the lawsuit is a mass claim by three organizations, including Stichting Car Claim and Diesel Emissions Justice Foundation. They argued that Stellantis and various Dutch car dealers misled customers with the cheat software by making diesel cars appear cleaner than they are.
The court agrees with the organizations. The diesel cars do not comply with European emission standards, the court stated.
For a small portion of the diesels, Stellantis is given the opportunity to provide evidence to the contrary. The company must then provide full transparency about the operation of the cheat software in those cars. Once Stellantis has done so, the court will determine the damage.
The verdict means that anyone with a diesel car from Opel, Peugeot, Citroën, or DS, produced between 2009 and 2019, may be eligible for compensation.
This is an interim judgment. The court will determine the next steps in a later hearing. One of those possible steps is to determine whether the accused parties are liable for putting the cheat diesels on the market.
The Amsterdam court will later consider similar claims against other car brands. For example, the claim organizations have also sued Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, and Renault because they allegedly used cheat software in cars.