Automotive News: FCA, Cummins Being Sued Over Inflated Fuel Economy Numbers, VW bosses told costs of emissions saga a month before disclosure -report, U.S. judge to name Feinberg as Fiat Chrysler diesel settlement master
FCA, Cummins Being Sued Over Inflated Fuel Economy Numbers
A new class-action lawsuit has been filed against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Cummins over issues with certain 2013-2017 RAM 2500 and 3500 heavy duty pickups.
The lawsuit, filed by Hagens Berman, claims that a defect in the engine can lead to lower gas mileage, higher emissions outputs and expensive repairs.
In all those trucks fitted with a 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine, the suit claims that the selective catalytic converter (SCR) system breaks down, allowing the filter to get clogged, resulting in the need for more fuel to be burned. In an attempted fix, FCA dealers have been re-flashing the computers on these trucks, but the suit claims that this also prompts the truck to burn more fuel to keep the filter clean. read more »
VW bosses told costs of emissions saga a month before disclosure –report
A Volkswagen manager told the then chief executive and other managers that the carmaker's diesel emissions cheating could cost up to $18.5 billion, almost a month before investors were informed, German newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported.
Investors were told about VW's systematic emissions test cheating using illegal software on Sept. 18 2015, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) informed markets.
The Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported that Oliver Schmidt, a VW executive who was arrested in Miami in January this year, told the then CEO Martin Winterkorn about possible financial implications at an Aug. 25, 2015 presentation.
German securities law requires firms publish any market sensitive news in a timely fashion. A probe by German prosecutors includes investigating whether VW disclosed details promptly. read more »
U.S. judge to name Feinberg as Fiat Chrysler diesel settlement master
A U.S. judge overseeing lawsuits against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV over its alleged excess diesel emissions said he intends to name well-known compensation expert Ken Feinberg to try to reach a settlement.
Feinberg has overseen compensation funds for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, General Motors ignition switch victims and the fallout from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion. He also worked as an consultant to Volkswagen AG on a compensation program stemming from its massive diesel emissions cheating scandal.
Federal judge Edward Chen in San Francisco said in an order issued last week that "there is a pressing need to determine if all or some of the pending matters can be resolved by the parties sooner rather than later."
He gave all sides until Wednesday to file objections to naming Feinberg as settlement master.
Feinberg declined to comment Monday.
In May, the U.S. Justice Department sued Fiat Chrysler, accusing it of illegally using software that led to excess emissions in nearly 104,000 diesel vehicles sold since 2014. read more »
EU scientists find VW car more polluting after Dieselgate 'fix'
The EU's scientific institute in Italy has found that a Volkswagen (VW) diesel car became dirtier after the software was updated to no longer detect when it was being tested, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Joint Research Centre, which has an emissions test laboratory in Ispra, Italy, has carried out a before-and-after test on the Volkswagen Tiguan – one of the models the German company had equipped with illegal software to fool emissions tests. read more »
