VW to appeal Dutch court order for Dieselgate compensation

(Reuters) — German carmaker Volkswagen Group AG said on Wednesday it would appeal a Dutch court order to compensate owners of cars equipped with software meant to rig diesel engine emissions tests.

The district court in Amsterdam said 3,000 euros ($3,538) of compensation was warranted for each buyer of a new Volkswagen, Audi, Seat and Skoda that had the software installed, while owners of a second-hand car should get 1,500 euros.

Volkswagen said it did not agree with the verdict, the latest in a string of payouts and fines for the carmaker since it admitted in 2015 to using fraudulent software to make diesel engines appear cleaner than they were.

“We believe that car owners in the Netherlands have not suffered any economic loss because of the issue,” Volkswagen said in a statement.

“All vehicles are safe and roadworthy, and no loss in their trade value resulted in the Dutch market because of the issue, as has been confirmed by external valuation experts.”

The compensation covers around 150,000 cars sold by dealers targeted in the class action suit, the court said.

Since the scandal broke, it has cost Volkswagen more than 32 billion euros in fines, refits and legal costs.

The company earlier this month also launched an appeal against an Italian court order to refund consumers participating in a class-action lawsuit over its rigging of emissions tests.