Unlike Volkswagen, which in 2015 admitted exhaust gas fraud on a large scale under pressure from the US authorities, Daimler does not admit guilt in the context of the comparisons and does not have to buy back vehicles from customers or be monitored by the US authorities in the future. To do this, Daimler has to improve the cars via software updates, as in Europe, and there are other environmental measures for which the company is asked to pay.
However, the settlements in the USA still have to be approved by the court and only end civil proceedings, so that further criminal consequences cannot be ruled out.