Daimler said on Friday it saw as unfounded a U.S. class action suit brought against its Mercedes unit on claims of excessive nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions levels.
An owner of a Mercedes BlueTEC diesel car filed a class-action lawsuit on Thursday, accusing the carmaker of knowingly programming its Clean Diesel vehicles to emit illegally high levels of NOx at levels 65 times higher than those permitted by the EPA when operating in temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, according to consumer-rights law firm Hagens Berman.
A spokesman for Daimler said the carmaker would examine the levels and defend itself against the suit.
Diesel car makers have been in the spotlight since fellow carmaker Volkswagen admitted in September it had rigged U.S. diesel emissions tests and up to around 11 million vehicles worldwide could have illegal software installed. Daimler has repeatedly denied that it has done so as well.
(Reporting by Jan Schwartz; Writing by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Georgina Prodhan)