The compensation plan for customers of Volkswagen's modified diesel engine cars is proving slower than expected, but the case is moving forward, consumer rights organisation Test Achats reported on Friday.
The case in question, dubbed 'Dieselgate', refers to the discovery made in 2015 that German car manufacturer Volkswagen (VW) had installed rigged software that hid the real environmental emissions of their diesel engines. This impacted several car models including VW, Audi, Skoda, and Seat.
In 2016, Test Achats filed a class action lawsuit which included thousands of Dieselgate victims in Belgium. Last July, the Brussels Court of First Instance ruled in their favour, recognising that the VW group had intentionally and systematically misled consumers and breached Belgian law.
A compensation of 5% of the purchase price or resale price – for those who had since sold their car – was planned. This applied to all vehicles with the modified engine. However, Test Achats has now indicated that the compensation plan isn't developing as planned.
"Due to the very large number of consumers potentially affected, the processing of compensation is taking longer than expected. The initial target of compensation by summer 2024 has proven to be too ambitious," noted Test Achats spokesperson Julie Frère.
Nonetheless, the consumer rights organisation promises that the case is moving forward, and remains optimistic. "The negotiations are encouraging. We are doing everything we can to launch the compensation campaign [...] as quickly as possible," Frère concluded.
