Trouble down under: Australia sues Volkswagen over diesel malfeasance
The company only sold five figures' worth of diesels in Straya, but pollution is still a major concern.
I would have written this story in upside-down characters, but HR is watching.
What do you know, another story about a country taking Volkswagen to court over its diesel vehicles. Care to guess which country's raking VW over the coals this time? Oh, wait, I already put that in the headline, didn't I? Well, in case you missed it, it's Australia.
Australia's Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) sued Volkswagen's Aussie arm for lying about the emissions of its diesel vehicles, Reuters reports. VW sold more than 57,000 of its dirty diesels in the Land Down Under, a small but nevertheless still important chunk of the 11 million or so diesels on the road around the world.
The ACCC claims that Volkswagen "engaged in misleading conduct by installing and not disclosing the operation of 'defeat' software," according to the group's press release. It's seeking "declarations, pecuniary penalties, correct advertising, findings of fact and cost," but the group declined to mention specific figures.
That's not the only case being brought against the automaker in Australia. Maurice Blackburn, a Sydney law firm, has already filed suit against the company, seeking some $75 million in compensation.
Volkswagen Group Australia issued a statement, saying that the lawsuit won't benefit consumers any more than an actual fix would. That fix is waiting on government approval, which the automaker hopes will be given by the end of the year. It appears a software fix is all it'll take to get everything up to snuff in Australia. The situation is...much more complicated in the US, with no official fix passing regulatory muster as of yet.