London-based Harcus Sinclair is collaborating with other law firms representing clients taking action against VW.  These drivers paid extra for their vehicles believing they had bought cars of a certain quality and less harmful to the environment.  The case is due in the high court in May. The action is seeking compensation from VW for selling cars that the lawyers argue were not road worthy because the emissions were far higher than they purported to be. Each motorist is seeking thousands of pounds in compensation.In total, more than 35,000 motorists have joined the class action lawsuit against VW in England and Wales over the emissions scandal – but the number is expected to rise to 100,000.

US verdict

Earlier this month VW pleaded guilty to all criminal charges in the US and admitted fudging pollution rules on nearly 600,000 vehicles. The car company admitted conspiracy and obstruction of justice in the scheme, which used software called a ‘defeat device’ to suppress emissions of nitrogen oxide during tests. The firm has agreed to pay $4.3bn in civil and criminal penalties in the US. But in the UK the government has not taken the carmaker to court over the scandal.

Select committee

While the firm has recalled 1.2m cars in the UK the head of VW UK, Paul Willis, told MPs at a recent select committee hearing that defeat devices had not been used in any cars in Europe. Currently VW is conducting some 20,000 ‘technical fixes’ a week in the UK and owes the government £1 million to cover the cost of the Department for Transport’s testing when the scandal was discovered.