√Jeep, Ram parent company guilty of mass emissions fraud

After initially denying any wrongdoing, the US parent company of Jeep and Ram has now agreed to plead guilty over emissions cheating.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), the US parent company of brands including Jeep and Ram, among others, has pleaded guilty to criminal conduct for emissions cheating.

According to a report from news outlet Reuters, FCA has agreed to the charge and will pay around $US300 million ($AU423m) in penalties, following a probe into the emissions of vehicles sold by the company between 2014 and 2016.

FCA, the former name of the US arm of the Stellantis group, admits to attempting to evade emissions requirements for more than 100,000 diesel-powered Ram and Jeep models.

A number of employees from the company are said to be facing individual trials, with allegations they were part of a conspiracy to install emissions-defeating devices, and with at least one employee misleading US regulators tasked with investigating the case.

While the US Justice Department and FCA are yet to make a statement on the matter, it’s believed the matter relates to 3.0-litre ‘EcoDiesel’ V6 engines fitted to the models, which used software that reverted to a compliant fuel tune when in lab conditions.

In 2019, FCA reached a settlement over the vehicles, which resulted in approximately a billion dollars in payments to customers and authorities – but the company continued to deny any wrongdoing.

“The settlements do not change the [FCA’s] position that it did not engage in any deliberate scheme to install defeat devices to cheat emissions tests,” the carmaker said in a statement at the time.

“Further, the consent decree and settlement agreements contain no finding or admission with regard to any alleged violations of vehicle emissions rules.”

The latest guilty plea by FCA appears to be a reversal of its position, with the company now admitting to the fraudulent actions in an effort to reduce its penalties.

There is no suggestion Jeep or Ram models were sold in Australia with non-compliant emissions systems.

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