An agreement to plead guilty to criminal conduct is near completion in the US emissions fraud investigation against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).
Reuters claim that the ‘agreement’ could see financial penalties totalling between $250 million and $300 million.
The deal surrounds Ram pickup trucks and Jeep sport-utility vehicles that were first manufactured between 2014 and 2016. These vehicles allegedly used emissions cheating technology to escape emissions laws.
According to Reuters’ sources, the FCA investigation focuses on roughly 100,000 diesel vehicles that reportedly evaded emissions laws.
“The plea negotiations are fluid and some terms, including the size of any financial penalties, could change as discussions continue,” Reuters’ sources said.
A trial has been set for 2022, in case a deal cannot be agreed in the meantime.
The Dieselgate scandal
After Volkswagen was found guilty of fitting illegal defeat devices in their vehicles more than four years ago, many other vehicle manufacturers have now been accused of diesel emissions fraud.
It is alleged that many manufacturers fitted illegal devices in their diesel vehicles to falsify their emissions levels when they were producing significantly more than the legal limit.
In the US, some settlement deals have already been agreed on and, in the UK, a significant amount of progress is being made to hold manufacturers accountable for their actions.
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