by Thorsten Koch

According to a fundamental ruling by the Federal Court of Justice, Volkswagen (VW) must compensate buyers for diesel cars bought with manipulated engine control software on board. The group had systematically circulated many cars whose software had been reprogrammed, in the interest of the group’s costs and profits. The judges equate this with serious deception. Not only were customers deceived by at least one VW manager. VW also accepted an increased environmental impact from nitrogen oxides.

After a legal revision, a plaintiff was, again, awarded 26,000 Euros in damages. A higher regional court had already made such a decision. The plaintiff wanted the full purchase price for his car, around 31,000 Euros. VW, on the other hand, had held that there was no longer any damage, thanks to software updates. The court, ruled, ruled that the kilometers driven by buyers must be counted.

According to the group, 60,000 cases are still pending. VW would now like to compensate car owners for their damage by means of a one-off payment, in case they withdraw their lawsuits. VW wants to approach and compensate the buyers.