Volkswagen and Audi Hit With Lawsuit from Australian Car Owners

BENGALURU: Volkswagen and Audi have been hit with two class action lawsuits from Australian car owners.

In a case which could claim billions of dollars in compensation, Bannister Law has filed two class actions in the federal court on behalf of Australians whose diesel vehicles contained emissions defeating devices.

More than 100,000 local cars have been caught up in the German carmarker’s global emissions rigging scandal.

“In supplying cars containing the defeat device, the statutory guarantee was not complied with. If we’re successful on that part of the claim, the customer may be entitled to a refund of the purchase,” class action principal Charles Bannister said in a statement on Monday.

“The value of car owners’ vehicles has been diminished through no fault of their own and people should be compensated,” Bannister said.

“Under Australian consumer law we believe that people are entitled to ask for the recovery of the full purchase price or alternatively a diminution in the value of the vehicle.”

The local subsidiaries of German carmaker Volkswagen admitted in October that more than 100,000 diesel cars in Australia, including the popular Golf and Polo models, had been sold with software that manipulated pollution controls.

More than 11 million vehicles globally have been identified as being part of the emissions scam, and the German autogiant is facing numerous lawsuits.

Bannister said there was a strong case for Australian customers to claim a full refund on their car or some compensation for the drop in value of their vehicle.

“There’s been admissions that there have been cheating devices placed in the software of the car, designed to cheat emissions testing,” he said.

“What that means is the vehicles should never have obtained compliance under the Australian design rules under the Motor Standards Act, and should never have been offered for sale on the Australian market.”

While the class suit would cover all affected car owners, Bannister urged people to come forward with their contact details to keep abreast of the case’s development.

“There are very few consumer class actions on this scale that have been pursued before in Australia,” he said.

A voluntary recall of affected cars is under way. Comment was being sought from Volkswagen and Audi.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is also investigating Volkswagen and has previously warned of possible legal action against the firm.

Also Read:

Volkswagen Group India to Present Results of Emission Studies in Nov

Suzuki's New Compact SUV 'Ignis' Coming to India in 2017