US hits VW with lawsuit over cheat software

THE American government is suing Volkswagen over emissions-cheating software found in nearly 600,000 vehicles sold in the US.

The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency have filed a civil complaint against the car maker in the US District Court in Detroit.

The civil lawsuit against VW alleges the company illegally installed software designed to make its diesel engines pass federal emissions standards while undergoing laboratory testing.

The cars then switched off those measures to boost performance in real-world driving conditions, with greenhouse gas emissions up to 40 times greater than federal environmental standards.

The company admitted last September that cheating software was included in around 11million diesel cars and SUVs sold since 2009. The firm is recalling 1.2million vehicles in the UK fitted with the devices.

VW faces the threat of $18billion (£12billion) in fines for violations of the federal Clean Air Act, possible separate criminal charges and a raft of private class-action l awsuits filed by angry VW owners.

The EPA’s Cynthia Giles said: ‘So far, recall discussions with the company have not produced an acceptable way forward.’

She added that the recall discussions would continue in parallel with the federal court action.