German prosecutors have started an investigation into Daimler for allegedly failing to avoid diesel emissions cheating, possibly resulting in a fine for the automaker, as its legal woes mount up over the affair.
German automakers, among the worldwide leaders in diesel technology, have been caught in the crosshairs of courts and regulators across the world after Volkswagen in 2015 admitted to using engine control devices to evade U.S. diesel emission tests.
Germany’s transport ministry stated last June that 774,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Europe had been discovered to have contained unauthorized defeat devices resulting in higher emissions. It ordered the automaker to recall over 200,000 cars in Germany.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are also probing emissions of Mercedes-Benz diesel vehicles.
Prosecutors in Stuttgart, where Daimler is headquartered, started an investigation into individual workers of the company some two years ago, which still continues.
“We have now also started proceedings against Daimler as a company,” a prosecution spokesman stated, adding the company may have ignored its supervisory duties.
Last June, the Stuttgart prosecutors stated they were thinking about investigations against Daimler, VW’s Porsche unit and automotive provider Bosch over possible emissions cheating.
