DIESELGATE A NON-STANDARD PROCESS

In September 2015, the German group Volkswagen admitted to have equipped 11 million vehicles with fraudulent software to handle their emissions of toxic gases.

Revelations that provoked an avalanche of lawsuits against the builder and its leaders.

The owners of some 450 000 vehicles in Germany, feeling cheated by the manufacturer, then came together in a joint request managed by the consumer association, VZBZ.

The association, the only applicant, accuses Volkswagen of knowingly misled its customers with spyware installed in each of the cars and to skew the numbers during pollution control.

What does Volkswagen risk?

Specifically, judges will have to decide about fifty points, but the main question will be whether Volkswagen has "caused harm" and acted "in an unethical manner."

Even if it proved unfavorable to Volkswagen, the judgment will not lead directly to a refund. Each complainant then assert his rights individually.

For Volkswagen, the diesel scandal "belongs to the history of the group" in the same way as "the ladybug and the Golf", recognizes Ralf Brandstätter, head of the VW brand.

But he assures that the group has "profoundly changed": the manufacturer put 30 billion euros on its new range to "regain the esteem of society."