Hyundai fined 58 million euros, Berlin does not inform the EU

Germany has fined Hyundai Motor Group subsidiaries 58.5 million euros for using devices to cheat emissions tests on diesel vehicles, but has yet to inform other European Union (EU) countries despite promises of better coordination following Volkswagen's "Dieselgate' scandal, says Peter Teffer in an article published on the European investigative website Follow The Money. According to the cited source, the fine imposed in April 2023 by Frankfurt prosecutors targets five German subsidiaries of Hyundai and involves 90,000 diesel vehicles. The discovery of the devices, which made cars appear cleaner than they actually were during emissions tests, raised questions about how different EU member states cooperate in such cases.

German prosecutors confirmed the existence of these "deceptive devices" but said they could not prove direct fraud, but rather negligence on Hyundai's part. The fine was imposed for contributing to air pollution, without clarifying whether the vehicles in question can continue to be used or not.

The Hyundai case follows calls from European regulators for better coordination and transparency after Dieselgate, in which Volkswagen Group admitted in 2015 that it had fitted millions of vehicles with software to cheat emissions tests. Although Hyundai was fined and the case closed, neither the Netherlands nor Sweden, the countries that approved these vehicles for circulation on the European market, were officially informed of the penalty and therefore no action was taken to recall the vehicles , the cited source shows.

The journalist from Follow The Money mentions that the Dutch and Swedish authorities, which are responsible for the approval of these vehicles, said that they were not informed by the German prosecutors or the German Federal Road Transport Authority (KBA) about the fines. The RDW (Dutch Vehicle Authority) stated that it was not aware of the results of the investigation and therefore did not take steps to withdraw the vehicle approvals. According to the cited source, this lack of communication between regulatory authorities raises questions about the consistent application of emissions regulations across the European Union. Although the European Commission requires the reporting of these violations through a common digital system, the German authorities have not completed the process of informing the other member states. The delay highlights persistent weaknesses in Europe's emissions monitoring system, despite efforts to prevent another Dieselgate scandal from happening again.

Although the cars involved are older diesel models, Hyundai has not confirmed whether they are still on the road or have been recalled, creating uncertainty about the continued impact on the environment and public health. Therefore, the quoted source claims that the European regulations on environmental protection seem to be called into question, in the context where the national authorities do not communicate effectively with each other, a fact that could allow polluting vehicles to continue to be used without measures to reduce the emissions .