German authorities continue to levy fines against Volkswagen Group and its subsidiaries.
According to German law enforcement authorities, 4.9 million Audi vehicles sold in Europe, the United States and globally (between 2004 and 2018) did not conform to legal limits on harmful emissions of nitrogen oxide. According to the European Environmental Agency, 68,000 premature deaths in the European Union in 2013 were caused by nitrogen oxide(s). In response, German prosecutors imposed an 800 euro fine ($925 million) on the company.
Prosecutors also imposed a 1 billion euro fine on Volkswagen in June 2018. In this most recent judgment, according to The Canadian Press,
“Prosecutors said the failure of proper corporate oversight by Audi AG enabled deliberate wrongdoing by individuals…5 million euros of the fine was imposed for the oversight failure and 795 million represented Audi’s forfeiture of economic gains from the violation, including profits from selling the cars, competitive advantages, and savings on the costs of producing vehicles that actually would have conformed to legal requirements.”
Audi’s response
“Audi accepts the fine and, by doing so, admits its responsibility,” Audi AG admitted in a public statement. They continued by stating that, because of the steep fine, they would miss their year-end financial targets.
Volkswagen AG has paid over $30 billion in fines since the dieselgate scandal began in 2015. Authorities have also a in the United States and Germany. Others, like former CEO Rupert Stadler, are still in prison awaiting trial.
