SEOUL (Feb 6): South Korea's antitrust regulator said on Sunday that it has decided to fine Mercedes-Benz 20.2 billion won (US$16.87 million) for falsified information on gas emissions of its diesel cars and ordered it to take corrective actions. The rigging means that the vehicles failed to meet permissible emission levels, but the German automaker falsified related facts in signs attached to its cars between April 2012 and November 2018, according to the commission. The Korean unit also advertised that the vehicles' nitrogen oxide emissions remained at a minimum level and they fully met the Euro 6 emission standards. "Such practices will or are feared to hurt fair market order by preventing consumers from making a reasonable decision," it added. Last year, the regulator either imposed a fine or ordered corrective steps for Audi-Volkswagen Korea, Nissan Motor Corp, Stellantis Korea and Porsche AG for similar emissions rigging incidents.

Source: The Edge Markets February 06, 2022 18:17 UTC