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Bloomberg
BMW AG joined the growing list of carmakers sued by US drivers for installing software designed to cheat diesel-emissions tests.
Drivers of “tens of thousands†of X5 and 335D model diesel cars built between 2009 and 2011 sued BMW and its technology supplier, Robert Bosch GmbH, alleging they installed algorithms designed to manipulate testing systems, using methods similar to those admitted to by Volkswagen AG. They claim those vehicles are polluting at up to 27 times the legal limit, according to the complaint filed in New Jersey federal court.
“At these levels, these cars aren’t just dirty—they don’t meet standards to be legally driven on US streets and no one would have bought these cars if BMW had told the truth,†said Steve Berman, the plaintiffs’ attorney who has filed similar claims against Ford Motor, Mercedes-Benz, Fiat Chrysler, General Motors and Volkswagen.
“As a matter of principle, BMW Group vehicles are not manipulated and comply with all respective legal requirements,†Kenn Sparks, a spokesman for BMW North America, said. The German automaker largely escaped the scrutiny that has plagued the industry since VW admitted to rigging 11 million vehicles, ultimately being hit with $25 billion in fines and penalties. Then BMW said it mistakenly put the wrong software in almost 12,000 diesel vehicles. Prosecutors raided the automaker’s Munich headquarters and its engine plant in Steyr, Austria, to look into 7-Series and
5-Series sedans. BMW approached Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority after internal tests showed that the manufacturer had installed the wrong software in the cars, resulting in higher emissions.