Photo: Catalin Garmacea
Porsche has been ordered to buy back a diesel Cayenne in a German court decision that may become a turning point in the Dieselgate scandal. The verdict comes from a Stuttgart district court (this is the automaker's hometown), having been released in October 25.
As the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports, this verdict is a first for Porsche, so the implications of the judge's decision can be extremely serious.
The plaintiff claimed that Porsche should buy back a 2014 Cayenne Diesel, returning the money, minus a compensation for the time during which the vehicle was used.
The court decided that the company installed an emissions cheating device, thus taking immoral action. It has been pointed out that the carmaker acted deliberately, abusing the legislation with the aim of obtaining a profit. The action is considered unfair to both customers, who have been deceived and competitors, whose vehicles were truly compliant to European Union legislation.
As such, Porsche was ordered to pay the customer 60,000 Euros, with the main reason behind the decision being that the vehicle could be deemed undrivable by the country's transport authority.
Nevertheless, we are looking at a first-instance decision and Porsche is appealing the verdict at the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court.
The automotive producer considers that the said verdict is legally flawed, arguing that the vehicle is in the process of receiving a software update that would allow it to become fully compliant regarding emissions, while being perfectly suitable for road use.
The surprise regarding the potential consequences for Porsche comes because the automaker has managed to distance itself from such matters and there are multiple reasons for this.
For instance, Porsche hasn't developed the diesel engines found on its cars, rather borrowing the units from Audi, since the two are owned by the Volkswagen Group. Also, diesel vehicles only made up for 15 percent of Porsche sales.
As for the future, Porsche is focusing on electrification, with the carmaker set to kick off its EV offensive next year, by introducing the Taycan.
In fact, the company is even ready to partially electrify its defining model, with Porsche having confirmed that the upcoming 992-generation 911 will offer at least one hybrid powertrain.
The plaintiff claimed that Porsche should buy back a 2014 Cayenne Diesel, returning the money, minus a compensation for the time during which the vehicle was used.
The court decided that the company installed an emissions cheating device, thus taking immoral action. It has been pointed out that the carmaker acted deliberately, abusing the legislation with the aim of obtaining a profit. The action is considered unfair to both customers, who have been deceived and competitors, whose vehicles were truly compliant to European Union legislation.
As such, Porsche was ordered to pay the customer 60,000 Euros, with the main reason behind the decision being that the vehicle could be deemed undrivable by the country's transport authority.
Nevertheless, we are looking at a first-instance decision and Porsche is appealing the verdict at the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court.
The automotive producer considers that the said verdict is legally flawed, arguing that the vehicle is in the process of receiving a software update that would allow it to become fully compliant regarding emissions, while being perfectly suitable for road use.
The surprise regarding the potential consequences for Porsche comes because the automaker has managed to distance itself from such matters and there are multiple reasons for this.
For instance, Porsche hasn't developed the diesel engines found on its cars, rather borrowing the units from Audi, since the two are owned by the Volkswagen Group. Also, diesel vehicles only made up for 15 percent of Porsche sales.
As for the future, Porsche is focusing on electrification, with the carmaker set to kick off its EV offensive next year, by introducing the Taycan.
In fact, the company is even ready to partially electrify its defining model, with Porsche having confirmed that the upcoming 992-generation 911 will offer at least one hybrid powertrain.
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