Polish UOKiK investigates VW emissions

The Polish consumer watchdog also demanded that the company “provide necessary information to determine whether there are grounds to bring forth an allegation of infringement of the consumers’ collective interests”.

“The various offices affected by the manipulation of emissions could instead be an infringement of consumer rights, such as compliance with environmental and technical standards. Volkswagen Group Poland has confirmed 140,000 vehicles were introduced into the Polish market with the system that manipulated the level of emissions,” read a press release by UOKiK.

Hence on 14 October, UOKiK opened its own investigation, and plans to cooperate with the office of Technical Transportation Supervision and the General Inspectorate of Environmental Protection.

“UOKiK will examine whether consumers could have been misled. It will analyse advertising relating to vehicles with the defective emission control system [and] check whether they contained information about the level of nitrogen oxide emissions or specific characteristics in the level of emissions (e.g. declarations regarding environmental friendliness). The Authority intends to establish whether the actual levels differ from the values declared in advertising" the Office said in a statement.

UOKiK is to monitor the progress made by the German company as it takes corrective action.

Last month, the US Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the results of tests which indicated that Volkswagen Group’s diesel engines produce excessive amounts of nitrogen oxide outside test conditions.

The disclosure of this fact caused the most serious global automotive industry scandal in recent history and Volkswagen is now being threatened with multi-billion dollar penalties in the US. (ua/rg/rk)