Wettbewerbsstrafen gegen BMW und Volkswagen in Millionen Höhe

BMW and Volkswagen is accused of having entered into illegal agreements with the competition. In detail, the two companies are said to have colluded to slow down the development and market launch of exhaust gas purification systems. This affects tanks for the fuel additive "AdBlue", which play a crucial role in the purification of car exhaust gases (so-called nitrogen oxides).

Antitrust violation – The technology of AdBlue tanks was not fully exploited

The technology of AdBlue tanks has the potential to reduce harmful emissions beyond the requirements of the EU emissions standard. However, the exploitation of this potential was prevented by agreements between Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen. AdBlue tanks in diesel vehicles with newer generations of catalytic converters contain special urea solutions that could enable more efficient exhaust gas purification and a corresponding reduction in harmful emissions.

Adblue strategy also installed in EA288 diesel engines

Our law firm has received the first positive judgments (including LG Offenburg Az. 3 O 39/20; LG Kleve Az.3 O 421/20) in which the court found a claim for damages due to the installation of inadmissible AdBlue dosing strategies even in vehicles with EA288 diesel engines (successor to EA189) is answered in the affirmative. This means that a so-called SCR catalyst in the vehicle controls the amount of AdBlue injected depending on the situation. The values are reduced on the test bench, in contrast to normal operation.