Ever since Volkswagen admitted to installing engine control devices in order to cheat U.S. diesel emissions tests, German automakers have continued to be targeted by courts and regulators around the world.
Most recently, German prosecutors have launched a new probe into Daimler for allegedly failing to prevent a similar scenario to what happened with VW, which in turn could result in a fine, as reported by Autonews Europe.
Last year, Germany’s transport ministry said that as many as 774,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Europe were found to have unauthorized defeat devices, resulting in higher emissions. Afterwards, Daimler were ordered to recall over 200,000 cars in Germany.
Prosecutors in Stuttgart already have an ongoing two year old investigation into Daimler, regarding individual employees.
“We have now also initiated proceedings against Daimler as a company,” said a prosecution spokesman, while adding that the automaker may have neglected its supervisory duties.
If found guilty, it’s unclear how big of a fine Daimler could end up paying, although if it’s anything like what VW paid last June ($1.13 billion), it will surely leave some type of mark. Meanwhile, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are also investigating emissions of diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Earlier this month, authorities had also launched proceedings against Bosch for providing VW with the very same engine management software used to cheat emissions tests back in 2015.