Swedish truckmaker Scania said it had filed an appeal against a decision by the European Commission, the EU's antitrust regulator, to fine it 880 million euros (US$1 billion) for taking part in a price fixing cartel to enable them to pass the costs of required environmental improvements on to customers.

The European Commission announced the fine in September, saying Scania had colluded with five peers, fixing vehicle prices. In July, Volkswagen’s MAN, Daimler, Volvo, Iveco and DAF admitted to taking part in the cartel in return for a 10 percent cut in their fines. Scania did not settle. Along with Scania, they account for nine out of every 10 trucks sold in Europe.

Commission investigators said senior managers at the companies founded the cartel in January of 1997 when they met in “a cozy hotel” in Brussels. The manufacturers then reportedly met regularly to manage the cartel, sometimes at the margins of trade fairs and other events.

“In the appeal, Scania contests the findings and allegations made in the Commission’s decision,” Volkswagen-owned Scania said in a statement.

“Scania strongly contests all the findings and allegations made by the European Commission. Scania also emphasizes that it has cooperated fully with the European Commission by providing it with requested information and explanations throughout the entire investigation period.”