Diesel : Renault denies that it rigged its engines – The Point

After Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler, this would be the turn of Renault ? The prosecutor’s office in Paris has ordered on the 12th of January the opening of a judicial investigation for ” deception on essential qualities, and the controls carried out “, with the consequence of making the goods, ” dangerous to health “. Result : the title Renault has violently returned on Friday morning at the Paris stock Exchange. To 11 hours (10 hours GMT), the action lost 3.63 percent to 83,12€, after you open up 1.08 %, in a market with a growth of 0.58 %.

The French manufacturer has responded and said that its vehicles were respectful of ” the French legislation and european “, “standards-compliant” and ” not equipped with software of fraud on the devices and clean-up “. The first group is a French car ” takes note, without however being able at this point obtain official confirmation of the opening of a judicial inquiry “, he said in a statement.

Dieselgate triggered in 2015

The investigation comes in the wake of the scandal at Volkswagen, who admitted in September 2015 have equipped eleven million of its diesel vehicles software intended to deceive the controls, pollution control, the department of Ecology had established a commission of independent experts to perform tests on hundreds of vehicles sold in France. The work of the commission, published in July 2016, had revealed significant exceedances of pollution limits in certain manufacturers, especially Renault, the first group is a French car. In parallel, an investigation had been conducted by the Directorate-general for competition, consumption and repression of fraud on a dozen automakers that sell diesel-powered vehicles in France.

In the course of its investigations, the DGCCRF conducted in January 2016 a series of raids at the headquarters of Renault, and in two technical centres of the manufacturer in the paris region, causing a fall in the share price on the markets. She had decided in the fall to transmit its conclusions to the justice. For its part, Renault has always insured ” comply with the French legislation and european “. Our vehicles have all and always been approved pursuant to the act and the regulations in force ” and ” are not equipped with software of fraud on the devices and pollution “, had said last November the group.

Invoice of $ 22 billion for VW in the United States

After Volkswagen, Renault is the second car manufacturer in France to have to explain its practices regarding the diesel. A judicial information for the German company was opened in February 2016 for ” aggravated tort of deceit “. The German group Volkswagen, who pleaded guilty to fraud, on Wednesday, the United States, will pay nearly $ 22 billion in compensation and penalties. The group of american-Italian Fiat Chrysler has been accused on Thursday, by the us authorities of having rigged the engines of more than 100,000 diesel vehicles in the United States to minimize the actual level of pollutant emissions, using a stratagem similar to that of Volkswagen.