[THE INVESTOR] South Korean lawmakers are seeking regulatory changes to force carmakers to give monetary compensation to consumers when they deliberately misrepresent the fuel economy of their vehicles.

Rep. Kwon Sok-chang of the ruling Saenuri Party said on July 4 that he will propose a revised Motor Vehicle Management Act to include mandatory monetary compensation. 



At present, misrepresentation of a vehicle’s fuel economy is categorized as a “minor defect,” and consumers are not eligible for any compensation.

“In the past, a local carmaker quickly compensated US consumers when there was issue with overstated fuel economy, and Volkswagen has decided to make compensations in the US only,” Kwon said,

“Local consumers are being neglected, and I hope the revised bill will allow local consumers to be compensated quickly should local and foreign carmakers overstate the fuel economy (of models).”

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)