Audi has agreed to pay an €800-million (that’s about R13,2-billion) fine for its role in the Volkswagen Group’s diesel emissions scandal, admitting its "responsibility for deviations from regulatory requirements".

The Ingolstadt-based automaker released a statement confirming it had “accepted the fine” from the Munich public prosecutor and that it would not lodge an appeal against it.

“By doing so, Audi admits its responsibility for the deviations from regulatory requirements,” the automaker said in its statement.

The administrative order against Audi provides for a fine of €800-million in total, consisting of the maximum penalty as legally provided for (€5-million) for negligent regulatory offences and the disgorgement of economic benefits in the amount of €750-million.

According to the findings of the investigation carried out by the Munich public prosecutor, duties had been breached in the “emissions service/power engine approval” organisational unit in the context of the monitoring of vehicles regarding their regulatory conformity.

These breaches of monitoring duties were concurrent causes of certain V6 and V8 diesel aggregates developed by Audi “not meeting regulatory requirements”. In addition, Audi “failed to discover” that diesel engines of the types EA288, in the United States and in Canada, and EA189 worldwide were placed on the market with an “impermissible software function in the period from 2004 and continuing to have an effect until 2018”.

In early October 2018, the supervisory boards of the Volkswagen Group and Audi “consented to the conclusion of an agreement” with Rupert Stadler on the termination of his contract as a member of the board and Audi CEO. The 55-year-old Stadler – who had worked for Audi since 1990 – was taken into custody in connection with the VW Group’s diesel emissions cheating scandal back in June 2018.

Original article from Car