Bosch refutes dieselgate involvement allegations as unfounded

Team OD Updated: August 26, 2016, 05:36 PM IST

The lawyers representing the Volkswagen vehicles owners in the Unites states affected by the infamous dieselgate scandal had claimed that component manufacturer Robert Bosch GmbH was an active participant. On Tuesday, the lawyers had cited confidential documents submitted by Volkswagen to plantiffs attorneys while making the allegations.

According to a Reuters report, the documents include various records and communications between Bosch, Volkswagen and the U.S. regulators. The papers submitted in the court apparently say that Bosch has played an important role in the scandal and has made handsome profits.

BoschLogo

Bosch has now responded to the lawyers by saying that their claims are wild and unfounded. The company has said that 'these allegations are based on speculations and at times contradicted by the terms of the documents cited'. The allegations involving Bosch have not been made public as the documents were marked as confidential by Volkswagen while submitting to the U.S. authorities.

Bosch has also said that it isn't against the allegations being made public, as long as the names and designations of its employees aren't revealed. It has citied strict German privacy laws for the same. The company has commented that the plaintiffs' complaint cites 38 of its employees.

Robert Bosch GmbH has manufactured the engine control unit that were utilised in the Volkswagen vehicles involved in the emissions scandal. However, the company has stated that it is the job of the car manufacturer to tune it in accordingly to extract the requisite performance like improve fuel economy or reduce emissions. Lawyers had alleged that this device was fine tuned over years with collaboration between Bosch and Volkswagen.

Although Bosch is one of the companies being investigated by the U.S. authorities in the Volkswagen emission scandal, it has not faced any charges do far.

Source: Reuters

More from OVERDRIVE on the Volkswagen emissions scandal 

Volkswagen emissions scandal: Dieselgate settlement to cost VW $ 15 billion

Volkswagen emissions scandal: Former CEO was told about defeat device

Volkswagen to compensate US customers for diesel emissions scandal

Volkswagen emissions scandal: US Justice Department sends subpoena under bank fraud law