Volkswagen had argued it could not be charged a second time, having been hit with a 1 bililon euro fine in Germany in 2018 in the same case, the source said.

Neither Volkswagen France nor the Court could be reached for immediate comment.

Volkswagen admitted in 2015 that about 11 million cars worldwide were fitted with software that cheated diesel emissions tests designed to limit nitrogen oxide (NOx) car fumes between 2009 and 2015.

The so-called "dieselgate" scandal sparked the biggest business crisis in the company's history, costing the German company more than 32 billion euros in vehicle refits, fines and legal costs as it triggered legal cases in several countries.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, additional reporting by Gilles Guillaume; editing by Jason Neely)