Nissan, the Japanese partner in the Renault-Nissan alliance, has been accused of faking emissions results for its Qashqai SUV (image: Wikipedia)
SEOUL, May 19 (Korea Bizwire) – Nissan, the Japanese partner in the Renault-Nissan alliance, has been accused of faking emissions results for its Qashqai SUV, and will face a class action lawsuit in Korea according to Barun Law, the firm handling the case.
About 30 Korean Qashqai owners expressed their intent to file a lawsuit against Carlos Ghosn, the CEO of Renault-Nissan, and Takehiko Kikuchi, the head of Nissan Korean. Jason Ha, an attorney with Barun Law, said the plaintiffs decided to name Gosn in their lawsuit “because the responsibility lies not just with Nissan Korea, which sold the vehicles but also with the CEO of Renault-Nissan headquarters.”
South Korea’s Ministry of Environment said Monday it will impose 330 million won (US$280,000) in fines against Nissan Korea, as well has halt sales of the model in question.
This recent development is in addition to controversy surrounding Gosn following Nissan’s takeover of Mitsubishi, which has faced accusations that it misstated fuel economy for some of its models. The filing is expected next week at the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office.
By Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
