(Reuters) — A U.S. judge on Wednesday granted final approval of a class-action lawsuit worth at least $80 million to settle claims that Volkswagen AG and its Porsche AG unit falsified emissions and fuel economy data on 500,000 Porsche vehicles in the United States.
The settlement, first reported by Reuters in June, covers 2005 to 2020 model years of Porsche vehicles. Owners accused the automaker of physically altering test vehicles that affected emissions and fuel economy results.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer also authorized $24.5 million in attorneys’ fees and costs.
Owners of eligible vehicles will receive payments of $250 to $1,109 per vehicle.
Porsche said on Wednesday that it has been “working to develop a solution and to ensure that customers receive appropriate compensation.”
;“We are committed to providing our customers with transparent fuel economy and emissions data, and the agreement ensures that customers are fairly compensated for any changes in fuel economy,” it added.
Scrutiny of Volkswagen vehicles increased after the German automaker revealed in 2015 that it had used sophisticated software to evade emissions requirements in nearly 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide.
VW settled US criminal and civil actions stemming from the cheating scandal for more than $20 billion. The automaker pleaded guilty in 2017 to fraud, obstruction of justice and falsifying statements.
According to the settlement, owners of Porsche vehicles with “Sport+” driving mode that exceed emissions limits when driven in that mode will receive an additional $250 when they complete software updates for emissions fixes that will reduce the vehicles’ emissions.
The total settlement in the US could be worth $85 million depending on how many vehicle claims are filed.
Lawyers for the owners said that as of Oct. 11, nearly 110,000 claims had been filed covering about 100,000 vehicles and that 13,773 owners have already taken Sport+ vehicles to dealers for updates.
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