The barrister for 38 Australian Mercedes-Benz dealers has likened the German auto giant to a “tin-pot dictator” in his closing argument in the dealers’ suit alleging that a new operating model amounted to the “nationalisation” of their businesses.

The dealers claim damages of $650 million in the landmark lawsuit and argue that their pushback on the rollout of the new operating model was ignored and that Mercedes-Benz breached the Australian franchising code by not operating in “good faith”.