36 Contingent liabilities

The trust assets and liabilities of the savings and trust entities belonging to the South American subsidiaries not included in the consolidated balance sheet amount to €944 million (previous year: €702 million).

In the case of liabilities from guarantees, the Group is required to make specific payments if the debtors fail to meet their obligations.

The other contingent liabilities primarily comprise potential liabilities arising from matters relating to taxes and customs duties, as well as litigation and proceedings relating to suppliers, dealers, customers, employees and investors. The increase is due in particular to additional contingent liabilities in conjunction with lawsuits. As a general principle, they do not include any class action lawsuits and criminal investigations/ misdemeanor proceedings related to the diesel issue filed outside of the USA and Canada, as well as specific portions of investor lawsuits which meet the definition of a contingent liability but could not, as a rule, be disclosed because it is impossible to measure the amount involved. These proceedings are still at a very early stage, meaning that in a number of cases the plaintiffs have so far not specified the basis of their claims and/or there is insufficient certainty about the number of plaintiffs or the amounts being claimed.

As permitted by IAS 37.92, in order not to prejudice the outcomes of the proceedings and the interests of the Company, we have not made any further disclosures about estimates in connection with the financial effects of, and disclosures about, uncertainty regarding the timing or amount of contingent liabilities in connection with the diesel issue and investigations by the European Commission. Further information can be found under the section entitled “Litigation”.

On May 5, 2016, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced, jointly with the Takata company, a further extension of the recall for various models from different manufacturers containing certain airbags produced by the Takata company. Recalls were also ordered by the local authorities in Canada, Japan and South Korea. The recalls also included models manufactured by the Volkswagen Group. Appropriate provisions have been recognized. Currently, the possibility of further extensions to the recalls that could also affect Volkswagen Group models cannot be ruled out. It is not possible at the moment to provide further disclosures in accordance with IAS 37.86 in relation to this matter because the technical investigations and consultations with the authorities are still being carried out.