Class action lawsuit filed against Mercedes-Benz for providing misinformation about battery supplier

[Anchor]

The electric vehicle fire that occurred in an underground parking lot in Incheon last August has been investigated and found to have started from a Mercedes-Benz vehicle.

More than 20 owners of the affected model have filed a class-action lawsuit against Mercedes-Benz headquarters, claiming that "the company deceived consumers by providing false information about the battery supplier when selling vehicles."

Reporter Hyun Ye-seul has the details.

[Report]

In August, a fire broke out in the underground parking lot of an apartment in Incheon.

It took more than 8 hours to extinguish the fire, damaging over 140 vehicles and forcing more than 120 residents to evacuate.

[Apartment Resident/September 17: "Even if I clean every day, dust keeps coming out every day, and I'm most worried about the kids."]

The vehicle where the fire started was a Mercedes-Benz electric car, the EQE model.

Owners of the same model are expressing their anxiety.

[Lee ○○/Mercedes EQE Owner: "An accident happened with the same model, and I realized that my car is a dangerous car..."]

Twenty-four owners of the Mercedes EQE have filed a class-action lawsuit against Mercedes-Benz, claiming that the company deceived them about the battery manufacturer.

They allege that a battery from an unknown manufacturer, Parasis, was actually installed, while advertisements falsely claimed that a battery from the world's number one company, CATL, was used.

They also claimed that Mercedes-Benz knew about the thermal runaway risks and defects of the Parasis battery but concealed them, seeking punitive damages of 350 million won per person.

[Ha Jong-seon/Lawyer/Class Action Representative: "More will be revealed in the future through the Fair Trade Commission's investigation. It is expected that violations of the Fair Labeling and Advertising Act, false advertising, and deception will be proven through such evidence."]

Mercedes-Benz stated, "There was no intention to deceive customers" and expressed willingness to actively cooperate with the Fair Trade Commission's investigation.

With the cost of replacing the battery pack at 70 million won, combined with the vehicle price, the total compensation demand could exceed 500 million won. However, the owners stated that they would determine the compensation amount after the Fair Trade Commission's announcement on false advertising, and they initially requested 10 million won per person.

This is KBS News, Hyun Ye-seul.