Citroen, Peugeot and Renault charged over Dieselgate in France

Three carmakers are facing charges in connection with the Dieselgate scandal.

Peugeot, Renault and now Citroen have all been charged with an offence relating to the 2015 emissions testing misconduct over the past few days.

Citroen and Peugeot have both been charged with consumer fraud.

As a result, Citroen will have to make a deposit of €8million (AU$12.6m) and a bank guarantee of €25million (AU$39.3m) for potential compensation and losses.

Meanwhile Peugeot will need to pay bail to the tune of €10million (AU$15.7m) of which €8m (AU$12.6m) will be for the potential payment of damages and fines, and the other €2m (AU$3.1m) to ensure the company's representation in court.

In addition, Peugeot must also pay a bank guarantee of €30m (AU$47.1m) to cover any possible compensation.

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Parent company Stellantis issued a statement specifying the charges related to the sale of Euro 5 diesel vehicles in France between 2009 and 2015.

The companies are said to be “in the process of assessing defence options”.

According to an official Stellantis statement, FCA Italy had also been summoned to appear before the Judicial Court of Paris as part of the same investigation.

“This formal step in the judicial investigation will allow the investigated parties to have full access to the case file and give them the opportunity to defend against allegations that have not yet been evaluated in adversarial proceedings,” the statement said.

“The companies firmly believe emission control systems met all applicable requirements at the relevant times and continue to do so and look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate that.”

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Another French carmaker, Renault, was also this week charged with deceit in France relating to older generations of diesel vehicles and as such will have to pay bail of €20m (AU$31.4m), €18m (AU$28.3m) towards potential damages and fines, with a €60m (AU$94.3m) bank guarantee dedicated towards potential compensation and losses.

A statement made by Renault said: “The company is presumed innocent. Renault denies having committed any offence and reminds that its vehicles are not equipped with any rigging software for pollution control devices.

“Renault has always complied with French and European regulations. Renault vehicles have all and always been type-approved in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.”

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The news of the latest charges against automakers comes in the same week as Volkswagen announced it had agreed to settle claims against four former executives, including long-time CEO Martin Winterkorn, which will see the carmaker receive almost €288m (AU$452.7m) in compensation related to the emissions scandal.

The settlement came on the same day Mr Winterkorn was charged in Germany with giving false testimony to the country’s parliament when he said he was unaware of the carmaker rigging diesel engine tests before the news became public, according to Reuters.

Winterkorn stepped down as CEO in September 2015, a week after the news of the scandal emerged.

A statement made by Volkswagen added: “The former member of Audi’s Board of Management, Prof. Ulrich Hackenberg, was not prepared to reach an agreement. The Supervisory Board of Audi AG has instructed that preparations be made for legal action to be taken against Prof. Hackenberg.”