Mercedes-Benz has reached an agreement with the US authorities to settle an investigation related to the underreporting of emissions from diesel engines. The total amount of the agreement was $149.6 million.
Under the terms of the deal, the automaker will pay $120 million in fines, and another $29.6 million will be reserved in a special account. This amount will be reduced by $750 for each car that the company repairs or buys back from owners. We are talking about almost 40 thousand cars that have undergone software modifications to reduce emissions.
In addition, Mercedes-Benz will pay each car owner participating in the repair program compensation of $2,000. Company representatives said that the agreement will not have a negative impact on the financial situation of the concern, since the necessary reserves were formed in advance.
The investigation against Mercedes-Benz began in 2020 — against the backdrop of a high-profile scandal with Volkswagen diesel engines. American regulators claimed that Mercedes diesel cars used software that could underestimate harmful emissions during testing. In real operating conditions, the level of pollution could exceed permissible levels by 30–40 times.
Earlier, in 2020, the company had already agreed to pay $2.2 billion to settle claims from US authorities and lawsuits from approximately 250,000 car owners.