South Korea officials fined German automakers for colluding to rig diesel car emissions.
The country’s antitrust regulator announced the imposition of a fine totaling a combined 42.3 billion won ($33.48 million) on three German automakers for colluding to curb emissions-cleaning technology for their diesel-powered cars, reported Reuters.
Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi (Volkswagen) were accused of colluding to hurt competition and restrict consumer choice, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) stated in a press release on Feb. 9.
The KFTC fined Mercedes-Benz Korea 20.7 billion won, BMW Korea 15.7 billion won, and Audi (a Volkswagen subsidiary) 6 billion.
However, the regulatory agency said that Volkswagen was not directly penalized, as the German automaker failed to earn any revenue relevant to the case….