Volkswagen Australia loses dieselgate appeal
Volkswagen Australia loses dieselgate appeal
April 12, 2021
Dieselgate continues to bite Volkswagen.
The Federal Court has dismissed an appeal by Volkswagen AG against a $125 million penalty for making false representations about compliance with Australian diesel emissions standards.
In dismissing the appeal, the court upheld the penalty and ruled it “was not excessive, let alone manifestly excessive”.
The biggest ever fine for breaches of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) was handed down against the German car-maker in December 2019.
It came after Volkswagen had gone to the Federal Court jointly proposing with the Australian Consumer Commission (ACCC) a $75 million fine. But the penalty was bumped to $125 million and VW appealed in February 2020.