Enlarge (credit: Alexander Koerner / Stringer / Getty Images) A German court fined Volkswagen Group €1 billion ($1.2 billion) this week for its role in the 2015 diesel scandal. The fine is among the largest imposed on a company in Germany's history, according to the prosecutor in the case, and it shows that the German automaker is still dealing with the fallout from a persistent pattern of lying to regulators. The diesel scandal first became public in the United States three years ago after regulators discovered that Volkswagen diesel vehicles were emitting significantly more nitrogen oxide (NOx) while on the road than the legal limit.