German prosecutors said Monday they had fined high-end carmaker BMW 8.5 million euros ($9.6 million) over diesel cars with higher harmful emissions than allowed, while adding the infraction was down to error rather than deliberate fraud. "Munich prosecutors have ordered a fine of 8.5 million euros for the administrative offence of negligence in quality control," investigators said in a statement.

Authorities had been probing BMW since early 2018 over suspicions it could have built a so-called "defeat device" into some diesel cars.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019