It looks like vehicle manufacturer Volkswagen didn’t get memos on the Clean Air Act’s standards and regulations – so much so that the US government intends to sue the company for emission violations.
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Almost 600,000 engines were fitted with the illegal devices, according to the complaint, causing harmful excess NOx emissions.
Justice Department officials said on Monday the case was filed in the Eastern District of MI because that is where “significant activity” related to the company’s cheating scheme occurred.
It’s unlikely Volkswagen would be hit that hard in the official DOJ prosecution, though, because USA government law-makers suggested in September that the fine would be in the region of $US18 billion ($A25b). In September 2015, Volkswagen admitted to installing defeat devices that curbed nitrogen-oxide emissions in testing situations alone.
The lawsuit, on behalf of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was filed on Monday in a federal court in Detroit, Michigan.
Giles added that the EPA has not yet reached an acceptable agreement with the German company over how to handle a recall.
The EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice said the civil lawsuit would not preclude potential criminal charges against VW or its executives.
Volkswagen said it would recall 8.5 million cars in Europe, including 1.2 million in the United Kingdom, and 500,000 in the US.
Volkswagen also is accused of violating the Clean Air Act by selling or importing vehicles designed differently from what the automaker had stated in applications for EPA certification.
The emission-cheating technology was installed in around 11 million diesel cars across the world.
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The road continues to get bumpy for Volkswagen as a new civil suit filed by the U.S. Justice Department could mean the ramping up of legal action against the company. “In addition, we are working with Kenneth Feinberg to develop an independent, fair and swift process for resolving private consumer claims relating to these issues”, Volkswagen said in a statement.
