"The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sued Volkswagen Group of America, accusing the car manufacturer of running deceiving advertisements for so-called “clean diesel” vehicles that in fact were designed to evade federal emissions tests.

In a complaint filed in federal court on Tuesday, the FTC accused Volkswagen of selling more than 550,000 diesel-fuel vehicles over seven years after falsely claiming they were good for the environment. VW installed so-called “defeat devices” on those cars, allowing them to evade federal emissions tests.

The commission is seeking a court order requiring the company refund customers who bought or leased the vehicles. The more than 550,000 cars in question sold for an average of $28,000, and an unnamed official told USA Today the government is seeking more than $15 billion in damages."

Devin Henry reports for The Hill March 29, 2016. [2]