Volkswagen to Pay Fortune in Poland: "It Violated Consumer Interests"

Volkswagen Group Polska and the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) have signed a settlement under which the German company will pay a fine of nearly PLN 74 million. This settlement will punish the German company for manipulating nitrogen oxide emissions in its cars and dismissing complaints. According to the UOKiK, the company misled consumers about its compliance with EU exhaust emission standards.

Volkswagen Group Polska has agreed to pay PLN 73,752,658 as part of a settlement reached with Tomasz Chróstny, President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection . The case has been ongoing since 2020 , when the head of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection issued a decision concerning the vehicle importer.

He concluded that the group misled consumers about compliance with the Euro 5 standard, i.e., EU regulations regarding exhaust emissions and nitrogen oxides. "We took the court's opinion into account and, in cooperation with the General Prosecutor's Office, decided to reach a settlement with Volkswagen Group Polska, which was subsequently approved by the court," Chróstny said.

The President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection added that the institution he headed "also confirmed that the company sent guidelines and messages to sellers of these vehicles (with EA 189 diesel engines - ed.) which suggested automatic rejection of complaints despite the non-conformity of the goods with the contract."

SEE: The Most Interesting License Plates. Drivers' Creativity Knows No Limits

In a statement, the Office announced that "the company has appealed the decision to the Court of Competition and Consumer Protection." "The settlement avoided a long-term court case and guaranteed the continuation of the practices identified by the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection as violating the collective interests of consumers (...) and the payment of an appropriate fine," he explained.

The Dieselgate scandal erupted in 2015 as a result of an investigation by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which forced Volkswagen to admit to secretly installing so-called defeat devices in 11 million vehicles.

The company's software was used between 2008 and 2015 in EA 189 diesel vehicles used in Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, and Skoda brands. Under test conditions, it allowed for the manipulation of nitrogen oxide ( _NOx ) emissions .

SEE: Are Seniors Worse Drivers? Clear Report Finds

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection also recalled that, in accordance with the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 1 August this year, "the purchaser of a car with an engine equipped with a defeat device is entitled to compensation from the manufacturer of that vehicle if that device caused damage to that purchaser."