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U.S.
law firm Hagens Berman, which had already filed a complaint in
February, said new tests had shown that Mercedes BlueTEC cars
produced nitrogen oxide emissions in virtually all road tests
that were far higher than in controlled lab tests.
"The fact that Mercedes passed the dynamometer test in all
tests, but failed the real world test, is suggestive that like
VW <VOWG_p.DE>, Mercedes is implementing a 'defeat device'," it
said in its complaint filed in the District Court of New Jersey.
Daimler said in a statement on Friday: "We consider this class
action lawsuit to be unfounded. Our position remains unchanged:
A component that inadmissibly reduces emissions is not used in
Mercedes-Benz vehicles."
BlueTEC is a filter system which uses urea to help rid exhaust
fumes of health threatening nitric oxides. It is fairly costly
and used mainly in heavier cars like Diamler's large limousines
or sports utility vehicles, which are equipped with powerful
diesel engines.
The complaint previously filed by Hagens Berman was more
limited, alleging that Daimler knowingly programmed its
so-called clean diesel vehicles to emit illegal levels of
nitrogen oxide in low temperatures.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said at the time it had
requested information from Daimler in light of the lawsuit but
had not opened an official investigation.
VW, Europe's biggest carmaker, is facing its biggest crisis in
recent memory after it acknowledged last September that it had
rigged exhaust emission tests for up to 11 million vehicles
worldwide.
(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan and Edward Taylor; Editing by
Keith Weir)
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