The Australian consumer watchdog has sued the local arm of Volkswagen AG for its diesel emissions cheating practice.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) took legal action against the company alleging that it knowingly and intentionally sold 57,000 vehicles to Australians which had been designed to cheat emissions testing.

According to ACCC chairman Rod Sims, “Volkswagen engaged in multiple breaches of the Australian consumer law by concealing software in their vehicles to cheat emissions testing and misleading consumers about the vehicles’ compliance.

“Consumers rightly expect that their vehicle’s emissions would operate as advertised during their day-to-day use and we allege that this was not the case,” he said.

Automotive News
reports that the ACCC wants the Australian arm of the Volkswagen Group to pay unspecified financial penalties, make public admissions of its misconduct and issue corrective advertising.

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