German car giant Daimler said Tuesday it will not contest an order from Stuttgart prosecutors to pay an 870 million euro ($957 million) fine over hundreds of thousands of diesel vehicles that breached emissions rules.

"The company has refrained from taking a legal remedy against the fine notice," Daimler said in a statement.

In their own statement, Stuttgart prosecutors said the fine related to some 684,000 vehicles which have been flagged for excessive emissions by the KBA federal transport authority.

The investigators "identified a negligent violation of supervisory duties in the Daimler unit that deals with vehicle certification beginning in 2008," they said.

"Official permits were granted for diesel vehicles, although their emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX) sometimes did not correspond with regulatory requirements."

The KBA has ordered the recall of successive waves of Daimler vehicles in recent years as it has uncovered excessive emissions.

But the company has always contested involvement in the so-called "dieselgate" scandal that broke in 2015.

"Daimler maintains... objections against the KBA orders," the Mercedes-Benz maker said.

Car behemoth Volkswagen admitted four years ago that it built software into 11 million cars worldwide that made them appear less polluting in the lab than they were in real on-road driving.

It has had to pay more than 30 billion euros in fines, legal costs and compensation, mostly in the United States.

In Germany, the Volkswagen brand and subsidiaries Porsche and Audi have paid fines similar to Tuesday's levy on Daimler totalling 2.3 billion euros.

"It is in the company's best interest to end the administrative offence proceeding... and thereby conclude this matter," Daimler said of the charge.

Prosecutors said the fine "has no effects on Stuttgart prosecutors' investigation into individuals in connection with suspected manipulation of motor control software".

Neither does it affect civil claims against Daimler over excessive emissions.

But in the near term, the company said the fine "does not result in a relevant additional negative effect on earnings" for July-September.

tgb/hmn/cw

DAIMLER

VOLKSWAGEN

Related Links
Car Technology at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

California sues Trump administration over auto emissions
Los Angeles (AFP) Sept 20, 2019
California and 23 other states on Friday sued the Trump administration over its bid to restrict their authority to limit auto emissions, setting the stage for a bitter court battle over states' rights and climate change. The lawsuit is in response to President Donald Trump's announcement this week that his administration was revoking a waiver accorded to California over the past 50 years to set its own vehicle emissions standards which are tougher than those imposed by the federal government. Th ... read more