German sports car manufacturer Porsche has dodged a lawsuit in the US over allegedly misleading claims about the fuel consumption of hundreds of thousands of vehicles, with the presiding judge approving a settlement with plaintiffs on Wednesday.
The company, a subsidiary of the German Volkswagen group, is to pay car owners a total of at least $80 million to settle the civil lawsuit concerning accusations of deviating fuel consumption and emissions specifications, according to the agreement.
US lawyers contacted the carmaker in 2020 due to media reports about irregularities in exhaust emissions, largely driven by law firm Lieff Cabraser, which also played a key role in the scandal known as “Dieselgate.”
While the US case initially focused on possible exhaust gas manipulation, the settlement reached is primarily about allegedly misleading information on fuel consumption.
Porsche had already underlined in a statement on the compromise in June that it denies the plaintiffs’ allegations, saying the settlement served to put an end to the issue.
The agreement only affects vehicles sold in the US, according to the carmaker.
According to court documents seen by dpa, the owners of around 500,000 cars built between 2005 and 2020 are to receive up to $1,110 in compensation per vehicle.
Courtesy © dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH www.dpa.com