The Paris prosecutor’s office has asked for a third lawsuit in the so-called dieselgate scandal. After Volkswagen and Peugeot-Citroën (part of Stellantis now), it’s Renault’s turn. The French manufacturer denies any infringement.
Renault has supposedly “specially calibrated” Euro 5 and Euro 6 vehicles sold between 2009 and 2017 to pass the legal tests, but they were not legally compliant in real life, according to the allegations.
A fraud that is aggravated by the fact that “this calibration has possibly increased atmospheric pollution by nitrogen oxides (NOx) and caused respiratory diseases for humans,” according to the prosecutor. The final decision on whether this becomes a real trial is now in the hands of the investigating judge.
Vehement denial
A spokesman of Renault, which was put under investigation in June 2021, has vehemently denied every infringement and says that “Renault is contesting any offense and reiterates the fact that these vehicles are not equipped with fraud software in their de-polluting devices.”
“Renault vehicles have always been homologated following French and European legal requirements and regulations,” Renault continues. The manufacturer underlines that a verdict of the Court of Cassation in April 2024 has been ignored. The verdict questioned the validity of the prosecution procedure.
381 civil parties
At the moment, 381 civil parties have already stood forward. Among them are individual Renault buyers, private companies, consumer associations, and public institutions like the towns of Paris, Lyon, Montpellier, or Grenoble.
The dieselgate scandal became public in September 2015 in the US. Volkswagen admitted to having equipped more than 11 million vehicles with fraudulent software, commercialized between 2009 and 2015.
The public health department of the Paris prosecutor’s office has already started two other trials, one on the 24th of February against Volkswagen, the other on the 25th of June against Peugeot and Citroën.
Several counsels of the civil parties have already expressed their satisfaction about the trials being initiated and have expressed their expectation that procedures will be accelerated and that Renault will be added to the list of manufacturers having committed fraud.
The public prosecutor’s office has added that “a consumer who turns to Renault – a manufacturer with an excellent reputation – is not supposed to doubt the fact that his vehicle isn’t complying with the European legal standards on toxic emissions.”
