German authorities raided Hyundai and Kia. South Korean automakers are suspected of using cheat programs to manipulate diesel car emissions. Authorities searched eight commercial buildings in Germany and Luxembourg.
According to a statement from the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor’s Office, more than 210,000 diesel cars of South Korean car brands have been equipped with an illegal program to hide emissions.
The software will come from the suppliers Bosch and Delphi. A spokesman for Hyundai, which also includes Kia, confirmed the raids and said the company was cooperating fully with authorities. The operation, which was coordinated by the European Union’s agency Eurojust, involved 180 investigators.
The use of adulterated diesel appeared in the United States in 2015. At the time, German automaker Volkswagen admitted it had tampered with emissions tests on a large scale using cheating software. This made the diesel cars look cleaner than they actually were.
The scandal cost the German auto group several billions in fines and repair costs. Collective claims have also been made against other major brands such as Peugeot, Citroën, DS and Opel for using cheat software.
