Four major German car makers have been fined $1.3 billion from the European Union

The UR handed down $1.3 billion in fines to four major German car manufacturers, saying they colluded to limit the development and rollout of car emission control systems.

Daimler, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche avoided competing on technology to restrict pollution from gasoline and diesel passenger cars.

Daimler was not fined after it revealed the cartel to the European Commission

EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager stated to the media that even though the companies had the technology to cut harmful emissions beyond legal limits, they avoided competing and denied consumers the chance to buy less polluting cars.

Volkswagen stated that it was considering whether to take legal action against the fine, saying the penalty over technical talks about emissions technology with other carmakers set a questionable precedent.