VW has always insisted that since the cars remain functional, there is no legal requirement for it to replace them or pay compensation. The opinion did not say what action the carmaker should take to correct the "defect" represented by a defeat device, such as replacing or refitting vehicles or compensating drivers. Judges issued their "preliminary legal view", which is not binding on lower courts but could guide their deliberations, after an owner of a VW car appealed a ruling in favour of the auto giant. Of the 11 million vehicles VW and its subsidiaries sold worldwide with defeat devices, some 2.4 million were bought by German customers. Since admitting to "dieselgate" in 2015, the scandal has cost VW some €28 billion for fines, compensation, buybacks and refits.

Source: The Local February 22, 2019 12:22 UTC