EU Fines 4 German Car Makers $1B Over Emission Collusion

Volkswagen said it was considering an appeal to the European Court of Justice.

The European Union handed down $1 billion in fines to four major German car manufacturers Thursday, saying they colluded to limit the development and rollout of car emission-control systems. Daimler, BMW, VW, Audi and Porsche avoided competing on technology to restrict pollution from gasoline and diesel passenger cars, the EU's executive commission said. Daimler wasn't fined after it revealed the cartel to the European Commission. It was the first time the European Commission imposed collusion fines on holding back the use of technical developments, not a more traditional practice like price fixing. EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said that even though the companies had the technology to cut harmful emissions beyond legal limits, they resisted competition and denied consumers the chance to buy less polluting cars.