Major car firms found not to have installed emissions-cheating devices

A High Court judge has ruled that vehicles from major car manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Nissan, Ford, Peugeot and Citroen did not contain prohibited defeat devices (PDDs) designed to cheat emissions tests, in a case brought by around 1.6 million motorists. The ten-week trial examined 20 sample vehicles, and Lady Justice Cockerill found that most of the emissions-control strategies did not constitute defeat devices, with the exception of one in Mercedes cars removed in 2015 and another in some Peugeot-Citroen vehicles. The judge stated that for a defeat device to be found, there must be an intention to cause the emissions control system to operate differently during testing, and it was not enough for claimants to simply show that strategies reduced effectiveness outside testing conditions. Mercedes welcomed the ruling but disagreed with the finding on one of its vehicles and is considering an appeal. A further trial is scheduled for October to determine consequences of any actionable breaches and issues relating to damages.