Porsche to pay US$80m to resolve fuel economy claims on US vehicles: court documents

VOLKSWAGEN (VW) and its Porsche unit have agreed to a class-action settlement worth at least US$80 million to resolve claims it skewed emissions and fuel economy data on 500,000 Porsche vehicles in the United States, court documents show.

The settlement, filed in US District Court in San Francisco, must be approved by a federal judge and covers 2005 through 2020 model year Porsche vehicles after owners accused the automaker of physically altering test vehicles that affected emissions and fuel economy results.

Owners of eligible vehicles will receive payments of US$250 to US$1,109 per vehicle.

Volkswagen did not immediately comment on the documents.

Scrutiny of Volkswagen's vehicles grew after the German automaker in 2015 disclosed it had used sophisticated software to evade emissions requirements in nearly 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide.

VW settled US criminal and civil actions prompted by the cheating scandal for more than US$20 billion. The automaker pleaded guilty in 2017 to fraud, obstruction of justice and falsifying statements.

Lawyers for the Porsche owners said the automaker physically altered the hardware - gears connecting the drive shaft and rear axle - and manipulated the software of testing vehicles. The test vehicles emitted fewer pollutants and were more fuel efficient than the production vehicles consumers bought or leased.

Settlement documents say testing showed fuel economy may have been 1-2 miles per gallon lower than listed on vehicle labels.

VW also will pay US$250 to owners of Porsche vehicles with "Sport+" driving mode that exceeded emissions limits when driven in that mode. They will receive the payment when they complete emissions compliant repair software updates that will reduce vehicles' emissions.

The lawsuits were prompted after a whistleblower at Porsche reported at least one suspected defeat device in certain gasoline vehicles through an internal reporting system, which prompted Porsche to report these findings to German and US regulators, the lawsuit said. REUTERS