Dieselgate: Fiat Chrysler (Stellantis) sent for trial in Paris for aggravated fraud
Fiat Chrysler will stand trial in Paris for concealing actual NOx emissions on Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Jeep vehicles between 2014 and 2017. It is the third car manufacturer referred for trial in the Dieselgate scandal.
Fiat Chrysler before Paris criminal court for Dieselgate
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, now integrated into the Stellantis group, will stand trial before Paris criminal court for aggravated fraud in the "Dieselgate" scandal, according to bfmtv.com. The manufacturer becomes the third to be sent for trial in France, after Volkswagen in January and Renault in July of this year.
Four manufacturers in total are implicated in France for concealing the actual level of their nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, all placed under investigation during 2021. The decision concerning the fourth, Peugeot-Citroën, has not yet been handed down by the investigating judges, although the prosecution requested its referral in June 2025.
Vehicles calibrated to deceive homologation tests
According to the referral order of which Agence France-Presse was made aware, Fiat Chrysler is suspected of having marketed between 2014 and 2017 vehicles under the Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Jeep brands, equipped with Multijet II diesel engines displaying "a frequent and substantial breach of the regulatory threshold for nitrogen oxide emissions". These air pollutants favour the onset of respiratory diseases.
According to the order, these vehicles would have been "specially calibrated according to technical parameters" in order to systematically improve their performance during homologation procedures, "whereas in real-world conditions, the calibration strategy implemented resulted in severely degraded functioning of the pollution control systems".
The referral conforms to the submissions of the Paris public prosecutor's office made on 30 June 2025, for "fraud, by a legal person, concerning goods creating a danger to the health of humans and animals".
Trial envisaged in November 2028
According to the hearing dates "envisaged" mentioned in the order, the trial could take place between 2 and 30 November 2028. These dates will need to be confirmed. A first preliminary hearing, a procedural step allowing the definitive schedule to be set, is scheduled for 16 November 2027.
For Fiat Chrysler's part, solicitor Alexis Gublin, contacted by Agence France-Presse, declined to comment. A spokesperson for Stellantis meanwhile stated: "We do not comment on ongoing matters. No reaction therefore."
Satisfaction among civil parties
Maître François Lafforgue, who represents associations and vehicle owners in similar cases, expressed satisfaction with this new referral: "This helps to confirm the generalisation of these fraudulent practices by manufacturers." He could intervene on behalf of civil parties in this case.
Given the number of vehicles involved and the civil parties already joined or wishing to join, the forthcoming trials promise to be of considerable scale.
Potentially heavy financial penalties
The manufacturers implicated face a fine of €750,000, liable to be increased to 10 per cent of average annual turnover, proportional to the advantage gained from the breach. A ban on exercising certain professional or commercial activities may also be imposed.
Source: Google News LU FR