MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th December, 2020) The European Union's Court of Justice ruled Thursday that German carmaker Volkswagen broke laws by fitting diesel vehicles with software that helped it cheat emission tests.
"A manufacturer cannot install a defeat device which systematically improves, during approval procedures, the performance of the vehicle emission control system and thus obtain approval of the vehicle," the court said.
Volkswagen, referred to as "Company X" in the press release, argued that the device was needed to prevent the aging or clogging up of the engine, but the court said its presence could not be justified by the fact that it extended the life of the engine.
The case was brought before the court after the Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation into suspected whether the company had deceived French buyers of diesel cars. Volkswagen sold some 11 million cars with such devices, including 900,000 in France.
