German raids on Hyundai, Kia linked to diesel emissions

German prosecutors searched the premises of South Korean automotive companies Hyundai and Kia, as well as of supplier BorgWarner, on Tuesday in connection with the installation of mechanisms to disguise emissions from their diesel vehicles, reported dpa.

Around 180 officials from the Frankfurt prosecutor's office searched premises in the region around the city. Eight premises were targeted in Germany and Luxembourg, with the European Union authority Eurojust coordinating the raids.

A spokesman at Hyundai headquarters in Offenbach near Frankfurt said the company was assisting the investigations to the full.

The investigation is focused on more than 210,000 diesel-powered vehicles registered up to 2020.

According to the investigators, the engine controls switched off or limited exhaust gas cleansing mechanisms under normal driving conditions with the result that standards were not adhered to.

The diesel emissions scandal first broke in the United States in September 2015, when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched an investigation into Volkswagen diesels.

Other companies, including major German vehicle makers, were drawn into the ensuing scandal, which has rumbled through the courts ever since, with huge fines imposed by the authorities and damages claims settled with individual owners.