> Just compare the fines for VW in Europe and the US.
The fines for VW were at the country level, and besides the usual protectionism going on (one of the German states holds a blocking minority in VW by law, go figure) Germany also has a different approach to fines than the US, with much less emphasis on punitive damages.
I'm aware, but "has a different approach to fines" is not really relevant, otherwise this just boils down to "The EU has a different approach to Anti-Trust-Law".
The fines for VW were at the country level, and besides the usual protectionism going on (one of the German states holds a blocking minority in VW by law, go figure) Germany also has a different approach to fines than the US, with much less emphasis on punitive damages.