April 25, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Korean customers of Audi and Volkswagen vehicles that were involved in the carmaker’s emissions-rigging scandal sued the Ministry of Environment on Oct. 17, saying the move is “insufficient.” 

A group of 27 owners of Audi and VW cars filed the lawsuit at a local court, calling on the ministry to revoke the recall as the measures are not enough to fully compensate the damages they suffered. They also claimed a software update is incapable of effectively reducing emissions levels, according to Barun Law, a local law firm that represents the plaintiffs in a multiple suit. 

In August, the government approved Audi and VW’s proposed recall plans to fix 82,290 vehicles that cheated on emissions tests. 

The ministry at the time said the software fix can reduce the level of nitrogen oxide emissions by 72 percent, as well as meet the pollution standards set by both Korea and Europe. 

But the owners disagreed, claiming the software update curbs nitrogen oxide by 20-33 percent. “The nitrogen oxide emissions level exceed the suggested limit even after the software change,” said Ha Jong-sun, a lawyer at Barun leading the case. “When using the car’s air-conditioning system while driving, the nitrogen oxide level increased by six to seven times more than the threshold.”

The plaintiffs also claimed that the government “went easy” on the German carmaker, unlike the US which approved VW’s recall plan only after confirming the modification would reduce the nitrogen oxide emissions by approximately 80 to 90 percent, through both software update and a hardware change. 

Meanwhile, Audi VW Korea, the local unit of the embattled German carmaker, is preparing to return to the market two years after the outbreak of the diesel scandal that led to a sales ban last year. 

Industry watchers project the carmaker will start selling cars in the market next month, by rolling out Audi A6, Q7, VW Tiguan and Passat, among others. The carmaker is also mulling selling the cars online as well as on smartphones using Kakao apps.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)