German court orders Volkswagen to recall Skoda Yeti and pay full price for the car; Volkswagen to appeal

According to foreign media reports recently, due to the Volkswagen Group's emissions scandal, the 2.0-liter diesel car Skoda Yeti, owned by Volkswagen Group, was ordered to be recalled by a German court and compensate the car owners at the full price, about 26,500 euros (28,300 US dollars).

According to local media reports, a 68-year-old user bought a Yeti crossover from a dealership in 2013 for 26,500 euros and took VW to court after the value of his vehicle dropped after a fix to the engine software.

The Hildesheim court said that Volkswagen deliberately cheated on emissions, but Volkswagen's statement that it is not yet clear who is directly responsible is untenable. The statement pointed out that many economic factors prompted Volkswagen to use cheating software, so it is difficult to believe that the decision to cheat was made by low-level employees.

The three German judges used rather harsh words in their statement, such as "illegal manipulation of engine control" and "illegal violation of relevant regulations", which are rarely used in court press releases. This is the second time this month that a German court has made such a decision, which provides great momentum for other users to seek compensation.

Nicolai Laude, a spokesman for Volkswagen, said the company would appeal and the decision would be overturned. Laude noted that the Hildesheim court's approach to the issue had been rejected by other cities, such as Cologne and Ellwangen.

Last week, Volkswagen reached a $4.3 billion deal with U.S. authorities to resolve its emissions scandal after admitting to cheating on emissions tests and destroying evidence during a regulatory review.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.