Judges have been informed that car manufacturers are facing over 1.2 million compensation claims due to allegations of installing “defeat devices” in diesel vehicles to circumvent emissions tests.
During a preliminary High Court hearing in London, it was revealed that Mercedes-Benz is subject to approximately 350,000 of these claims.
Additionally, manufacturers such as Opel, Nissan, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, Volvo, Hyundai, Toyota, and Mazda are also defendants in a collective legal action.
The lawsuit involves motorists accusing these car makers of misleading them about emission standards, which they claim has significantly reduced the value of their vehicles.
Lawyers have estimated that the claims against Mercedes-Benz alone could amount to around £3 billion if successful.
A barrister representing some of the claimants stated that the litigation encompasses around 1.25 million claimants and about 1,500 defendants, including dealerships.
This legal action is a consequence of the “dieselgate” scandal that came to light in 2015.
This scandal initially revealed that Volkswagen had installed software in their vehicles to manipulate official testing, leading to lower NOx emissions in lab conditions that did not reflect real-world driving scenarios.
