BERLIN, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- German car manufacturer Volkswagen and the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzbv) agreed on starting negotiations on a settlement in the mass trial over manipulated diesel exhaust emissions, both parties announced on Thursday.

"The common goal of the vzbv and Volkswagen is a pragmatic solution for the benefit of the customer," the non-governmental umbrella organization for 42 German consumer associations announced.

The mass lawsuit at the court in Brunswick is set to make a general decision on whether compensation payments to around 440,000 German claimants which are represented by vzbv have a legal basis.

In September 2015, Volkswagen had admitted the manipulation of exhaust emissions of its diesel cars in the United States where it already agreed to pay 4.3 billion U.S. dollars in fines alone. The lawsuit against Volkswagen in Germany was filed in November 2018.

Although the presiding judge in Brunswick recommended to negotiate a settlement, Volkswagen had so far rejected negotiations as "hardly conceivable", referencing to a lack of comparability of the individual cases and an incomplete register of complaints.

As Volkswagen's attitude towards a legal settlement has changed, the odds for German customers to receive compensation payments increased. However, vzbv stressed that the question whether the negotiations would ultimately lead to a settlement would "remain open". Enditem

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