Scandal-battered auto giant Volkswagen is likely to be slapped with a lawsuit over its massive emissions fraud in South Korea, which could be the first legal action in the nation following the ever-widening emissions-rigging scandal.
Two Volkswagen car owners in S. Korea -- one of whom owns an Audi Q5 2.0 TDI of 2014 (61 million won) and the other a Volkswagen Tiguan of 2009 (43 million won) -- plan to file an unjust enrichment lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court against the world's No.1 carmaker, Korean law firm Barun Law said on September 30.
“Had it not been for the fraudulent act by the accused, the plaintiffs wouldn’t have paid hefty prices to buy the cars that do not meet emission standards,” said Barun that represents the plaintiffs. “In accordance with Article 110 of the Civil Code, we demand the cancellation of the purchase contracts,” Barun added.
Demanding the German carmaker return the profit that it earned through such illicit tactics, each plaintiff claimed 30 million won in damages from the company.
“The accused touted their diesel-powered vehicles as low-emission cars with much greater fuel efficiency and acceleration performance than their gasoline-powered counterparts. Hence the plaintiffs chose to pay a premium for the gasoline-powered vehicles even though they were much more expensive than their gasoline models,” Barun claimed.
