Prosecutors in France have charged both Peugeot and Renault over claims they cheated emissions testing in many of their diesel vehicles.
Senior managers were accused of deceit for using ‘fraudulent strategies’ and committing emissions fraud by falsifying emissions test results and cheating emissions laws, especially in vehicles sold between 2009 and 2015.
Renault charges
Renault has been ordered to pay €20million (£17.2 million) in bail, as well as providing a bank guarantee of €60 million(£51.5million) to cover any compensation orders, while Peugeot has been ordered to provide €30million (£25.7million) in guarantees for potential payouts.
In a statement, Renault said that it ‘denies having committed any offence’ and claims that its vehicles ‘are not equipped with any rigging software for pollution control devices.’
Charges for both Peugeot and Renault come after a judicial investigation into the use of illegal devices to falsify emissions levels in diesel vehicles, which began in 2017 days after the Volkswagen settlement.
Emissions testing
In France, prosecutors found that more than 10 times the regulatory emissions limit were being produced in some Renault and Peugeot vehicles.
“Renault has always complied with French and European regulations,” a Renault spokesperson said.
The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance posted a record net loss of €8.1billion last year, with the Covid-19 pandemic taking a large portion of the blame.
