Renault charged with diesel deceit by French investigators

The charges spring from a judicial investigation opened in early 2017, days after VW settled criminal and civil complaints with the US, pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government and obstruction of justice. File Picture: Denis Scannell

French investigators have charged Renault with deceiving on emissions in ongoing fallout from the diesel scandal that erupted when Volkswagen admitted to cheating tests almost six years ago.

Renault must make a €20m payment and provide a €60m bank guarantee to cover potential damages, fines and compensation for losses, the company said on Tuesday night. 

The carmaker said it’s presumed innocent and hasn’t done anything wrong.

“Renault denies having committed any offense and reminds that its vehicles are not equipped with any rigging software for pollution control devices,” the company said, adding that it “has always complied with French and European regulations”.

The charges spring from a judicial investigation opened in early 2017, days after VW settled criminal and civil complaints with the US, pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government and obstruction of justice. 

Renault has said that, unlike VW, it hasn’t used illegal devices to activate emissions controls in the lab while allowing for more pollution in real-world driving.

“Renault deceived no one,” Gilles Le Borgne, head of engineering, said on a call with reporters. 

“What we know from the VW case is not at all the same for Renault. We don’t have defeat devices in our cars and never had them.” 

The accusations that Renault used a device to detect emissions tests is “erroneous and incomprehensible,” said Le Borgne, who joined Renault last year after working for rival PSA Group for 30 years. 

The engines referred to in the probe were in vehicles from 2009 to 2011 and 2013 to 2017, though the full scope of the investigation is still being defined, he said.

An official at the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed Renault was charged with deceit. 

- Bloomberg