Lawyers warn that the case could eventually involve up to 1.8 million UK drivers across 14 brands, potentially making it the largest consumer class action in British legal history.
A decade after Volkswagen’s emissions scandal shook the global auto industry, five of the world’s largest carmakers—Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Renault, Nissan, and Peugeot/Citroën—are now facing a landmark High Court trial in London that could permanently alter drivers’ perception of “clean diesel.”
The long-running “dieselgate” class action, which opened this week, brings together around 850,000 motorists who claim they were misled about the environmental performance of their vehicles.
Lawyers say the case could eventually expand to include as many as 1.8 million UK drivers across 14 brands, potentially making it the largest consumer class action in British history.
At the heart of the case are allegations that the manufacturers installed “defeat devices”—software designed to detect when a vehicle was undergoing official emissions testing and temporarily reduce pollution output to meet EU standards.
Outside testing conditions, however, the vehicles allegedly reverted to normal performance, emitting nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter far above legal limits.
All five companies have denied wrongdoing. Mercedes-Benz said its systems were “legally and technically justified,” while Renault and Stellantis insisted their vehicles complied with all European emissions regulations when sold.
Ford dismissed the lawsuit as “without merit,” and Nissan reiterated its “commitment to regulatory compliance in every market.”
The manufacturers are expected to argue that the software in question was intended to protect engines from damage rather than manipulate test results—a technical distinction that could prove crucial to the case’s outcome.
The High Court proceedings, expected to run for three months, will focus on a small sample of diesel vehicles produced by the five companies.
A judgment is not expected until mid-2026.
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Official Tbilisi is aiming to establish a genuine and meaningful strategic partnership with Washington.
European stock markets opened the week on a positive note, buoyed by hopes of easing trade tensions between the U.S. and China and declining geopolitical risks in the Middle East.
The trilateral meeting between Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia aimed at strengthening economic and transport cooperation is considered a key platform for the region.
A nor’easter bringing heavy rain and strong winds has caused widespread flooding across New Jersey.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Wall Street closed sharply higher on Monday, led by gains in Broadcom and other chipmakers, as investors were reassured by U.S. President Donald Trump’s conciliatory tone on renewed U.S.-China trade tensions.
European stock markets opened the week on a positive note, buoyed by hopes of easing trade tensions between the U.S. and China and declining geopolitical risks in the Middle East.
A federal jury in Marshall, Texas, ruled on Friday that Samsung Electronics must pay nearly $445.5 million in damages to patent holder Collision Communications for infringing patents linked to 4G, 5G, and Wi-Fi communication standards.
Gold prices rose above $4,000 an ounce for the first time on Wednesday, fuelled by investor demand for safe-haven assets amid rising geopolitical tensions and expectations of U.S. interest rate cuts.
U.S. shares ended Tuesday in negative territory as investors, cut off from official economic data due to the ongoing government shutdown, looked to alternative indicators and comments from Federal Reserve officials for guidance on economic weakness and monetary policy.
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