Opel pays €65m fine in diesel scandal

German carmaker Opel will not face legal proceedings in Germany relating to exhaust emissions from its diesel-powered vehicles after paying a fine of 64.8 million euros, Frankfurt prosecutors said on Tuesday.

The fine was imposed as emissions from several Opel models contained pollutants at considerably higher levels than reported to the German vehicle-licensing authority, they said, reported dpa.

This means that Opel will not face the series of trials that competitor Volkswagen has faced.

Proceedings against six Opel managers have also been dropped, either because their role was limited or because fines have been paid.

Opel, currently owned by the multinational Stellantis corporation, stressed that it did not face charges of deliberate criminality or of installing cheat software, as with other manufacturers.

The German licensing authority instructed Opel in 2018 to recall certain models. Opel then changed the software in the vehicles concerned.

The company was owned for almost 90 years by US automotive giant General Motors, before being taken over by the French PSA Group in 2017, which in turn merged with Fiat Chrysler into Stellantis early this year.