Audi agrees to pay €800 million fine for role in diesel scandal

It looks like Audi is finally owning up to its role in ‘Dieselgate.’ Volkswagen’s luxury-car division has finally agreed to pay a hefty fine amounting to €800 million (over P49 billion) to resolve civil claims stemming from its involvement in the notorious German emissions-cheating scandal.

In a statement released by the manufacturer earlier this week, it said prosecutors found that “monitoring duties had been breached in the ‘emissions service/power engine approval’ organizational unit in the context of the monitoring of vehicles regarding their regulatory conformity.” This resulted in Audi’s failure to meet regulatory requirements.

The statement goes on to say that affected diesel engines in the US, Canada, and other parts of the globe were “advertised, sold to customers, and placed on the market with an impermissible software function” from 2004 until 2018.

“Following thorough examination, Audi AG accepted the fine and it will not lodge an appeal against it,” the statement continues. “By doing so, Audi AG admits its responsibility for the deviations from regulatory requirements.”

We’re glad to see a manufacturer taking responsibility for its actions. That’s a very steep price to pay—even for one of the world’s most prominent premium carmakers. Let’s hope the entire industry learns from this fiasco.