SYDNEY: Australian car owners have launched the first local lawsuit against Volkswagen and Audi over the emissions-rigging scandal. 
In a case which could result in billions of dollars in financial compensation, Bannister Law has filed two class actions in the Federal Court on behalf of an estimated 91,000 Australians whose diesel vehicles contain secret engine software.
"The value of car owners' vehicles has been diminished through no fault of their own and people should be compensated," principal Charles Bannister said yesterday.
"Under Australian consumer law we believe that people are entitled to ask for the recovery of the full purchase price or a diminution in the value of the vehicle."The court action comes after the local subsidiaries of German carmaker Volkswagen admitted in   October that more than 100,000 diesel cars in Australia had been sold with software that manipulated pollution controls.