The Arizona Republic

U.S. sues Fiat Chrysler over diesel emissions

Automaker rejects comparison­s to VW, vows to fight back

- Eric D. Lawrence and Brent Snavely

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Fiat Chrysler Automobile­s for allegedly building and selling diesel engines that violated pollution standards.

The federal government said 104,000 Ram pickups and Jeep Grand Cherokee sport-utility vehicles contain software that violates U.S. emissions tests for diesels.

The matter erupted in January when the Environmen­tal Protection Agency accused Fiat Chrysler of possible violations, whereafter CEO Sergio Marchionne accused the agency of “smoking illegal material” for making bogus allegation­s.

The lawsuit comes after months of negotiatio­ns and discussion­s between the ItalianAme­rican automaker, the EPA, the California Air Resources Board and other federal investigat­ors.

The company last week proposed a software fix that it hoped would resolve a discrepanc­y on the emissions performanc­e of the diesel vehicles in a move aimed at averting a legal battle.

But on Tuesday, the federal government said vehicle emissions are “much higher than the EPA-compliant level” in realworld use.

Fiat Chrysler said it was “disappoint­ed” in the lawsuit and vowed to fight back.

“The company intends to defend itself vigorously, particular­ly against any claims that the company engaged in any deliberate scheme to install defeat devices to cheat U.S. emissions tests,” the company said in a statement.

The showdown comes on the heels of a resolution over German automaker Volkswagen Group’s scandal, in which the company acknowledg­ed intentiona­lly using software to evade emissions tests on diesel vehicles.

Fiat Chrysler has vigorously rejected any comparison­s between its situation and Volkswagen, which admitted to evading standards on 11 million vehicles globally. The scandal has cost VW more than $22 billion, including a U.S. criminal settlement and vehicle buybacks for consumers.

 ?? BILL PUGLIANO, GETTY IMAGES ??
BILL PUGLIANO, GETTY IMAGES

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