Photo : YONHAP News
Owners of the Mercedes-Benz EQE electric vehicle, the same model as the car that caught fire in an underground parking lot in Incheon in August, have filed a class-action lawsuit against the automaker and other companies that brought the EQE to the South Korean market.
An attorney representing the 24 plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court said Thursday that his clients were suing the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Germany; the importer, Benz Korea; seven automobile vendors, including Hansung Motors; and two leasing companies, including Benz Financial Services Korea.
Each of the plaintiffs is seeking 10 million won, or over seven-thousand U.S. dollars, saying the automakers deceived the owners about the batteries’ origin.
While most EQEs are equipped with batteries from Farasis Energy in China, the plaintiffs say the automakers misrepresented their origin by saying they came from CATL, the top battery company in China.
The plaintiffs also say the German carmakers knowingly hid concerns surrounding Farasis batteries and have sought punitive damages amounting to 350 million won per person, which is five times the cost of replacing each battery pack.