Opel sites searched by German prosecutors in diesel probe

FRANKFURT -- German prosecutors searched Opel's operations in Ruesselsheim and Kaiserslautern on Monday as part of a probe into possible diesel-emissions cheating.

"Opel confirms that the public prosecutor's office of Frankfurt is conducting investigations in the course of preliminary proceedings on emissions at the sites in Ruesselsheim and Kaiserslautern," the carmaker said.

"We cannot comment on details concerning the ongoing investigation at this moment in time. The company is fully cooperating with the authorities. Opel reaffirms that its vehicles comply with the applicable regulations."

German daily newspaper Bild said prior to the raid that criminal authorities were probing 95,000 Opel vehicles to see whether engine management software employed in the Insignia, Zafira and Cascada models from the years 2012, 2014 and 2017 was illegally manipulated.

PSA Group, which owns Opel and its British sister brand, Vauxhall, declined to comment.

The Insignia, Zafira and Cascada were developed while Opel and Vauxhall were still owned by General Motors. General Motors sold Opel to PSA Group in 2017.

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