Bosch takes Dyson to court over emissions cheating allegations

Bosch is taking Dyson to court over allegations its vacuum cleaners cheated energy efficiency tests in the same way that Volkswagen deceived emissions tests.

The British vacuum cleaner maker launched legal action last week against Bosch, which strongly rejected the claims.

Its chief executive Karsten Ottenberg, chief executive Bosch's home appliances unit, said: “We have long since been aware that James Dyson has a history of taking a very aggressive approach against his competitors.”

"With his completely unfounded accusations of cheating in the past week he has now overstepped the mark, which is why we will now initiate legal steps against Dyson."

In a statement in response to the news, James Dyson said: “We will not be diverted from what is a crucial consumer issue. What Bosch and Siemens have done we believe circumvents the purpose of the EU energy regulations and misleads consumers.”

The latest claims open another chapter in the long-running feud between the two firms.

In 2012, Dyson sued Bosch for allegedly planting a mole in its engineering team at its Wiltshire headquarters.

It claimed the 'spy' worked on its digital motors, which are used in its cordless technology and Airblade hand dryers.

Bosch said that last year it proved that Dyson had advertised incorrect values on the energy label for its appliances.