Fiat Chrysler Ordered to Trial in French Dieselgate Case

French investigating magistrates have ordered Fiat Chrysler to stand trial in Paris for aggravated fraud in the Dieselgate scandal, judicial sources confirmed on 7 September. The company, now integrated into the Stellantis group, follows Volkswagen and Renault as the third automaker referred to the correctional tribunal.

All four manufacturers under investigation — Volkswagen, Renault, Fiat Chrysler, and Peugeot-Citroën — were placed under formal examination in 2021. Prosecutors requested Peugeot-Citroën's referral in June 2025, but magistrates have not yet ruled on that request.

“We do not comment on ongoing cases. No reaction therefore.”

The referral order alleges that between 2014 and 2017 Fiat Chrysler sold Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Jeep models equipped with Multijet II diesel engines that frequently and substantially exceeded regulatory nitrogen oxide limits. The engines were allegedly calibrated to pass homologation tests while their pollution-control systems operated in a degraded mode during real-world driving.

This calibration strategy rendered the vehicles dangerous to human and animal health, according to the order. The prosecutor's request for trial was issued on 30 June 2025. A procedural hearing to set trial dates is scheduled for 16 November 2027, with the trial itself tentatively slated for 2–30 November 2028.

Fiat Chrysler's lawyer Alexis Gublin declined to comment on the referral when contacted by AFP.