The Dutch Consumer Association has launched a class-action lawsuit against BMW, accusing the luxury automaker of falsifying emissions data in roughly 100,000 cars sold in the Netherlands.
According to the Consumentenbond group, studies indicate that BMW installed software in certain vehicles that artificially lowered nitrogen oxide emissions during official testing. But once on the road, the same cars reportedly produced far higher emissions.
“It’s shameless how BMW misled both the inspection bodies and consumers,” Consumentenbond director Sandra Molenaar said. “The company must take responsibility. We want BMW to compensate the consumers it misled.”
The complaint targets all BMW and MINI diesel models sold in the Dutch market between January 1, 2009, and September 1, 2019.
BMW told AFP it had learned of the lawsuit through media reports and had not yet been formally served, saying it therefore did not know the full scope of the allegations.
Car Claim, the second organisation behind the legal action, is urging BMW to recall and refit any affected vehicles and compensate both current and former owners. “Although we have initiated legal proceedings, we continue to urge BMW to engage in discussions to reach a fair solution together,” chairman Guido van Woerkom said.
The case marks yet another chapter in the long-running “dieselgate” emissions scandal that swept across the global auto industry. It began in 2015 when Volkswagen admitted to using software to cheat pollution tests, sparking investigations and lawsuits against multiple manufacturers worldwide.
BMW was fined 8.5 million euros in Germany in 2019 over diesel cars that exceeded emissions limits, though prosecutors at the time said the violation stemmed from an error rather than intentional deception.
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