A class-action lawsuit accusing Ford Motor Credit of racial bias in auto lending will be the first of its kind to go to trial. The decision could effect how consumers finance their vehicle purchases and pose a threat to one source of profit for dealers.

The case involves Primus Automotive Financial Services Inc., a branch of Ford Credit that does business as Mazda American Credit, Land Rover Capital and Jaguar Credit, which is accused of charging African-Americans more for auto loans than whites, even when their credit scores are the same, reported The Detroit News.

The lawsuit attacks Primus for permitting car dealers to mark up interest rates on auto loans for extra profits. Ford Credit spokeswoman Meredith Libbey told the paper that the charges could not be true because Ford has a computerized process for approving loans, which makes it a colorblind process as well.

The same argument has been used by other auto finance companies, including General Motors Acceptance Corp. and Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp., with both settling out of court last year.

Last summer, Ford said it would cap loan markups to prevent abuses. Today, Ford limits loan mark ups to 2.5 points more than the interest rate a customer's credit score recommends. On loans with terms longer than 60 months, the cap is 2 points.

During the past year, Ford has also added language to lending contracts explaining that interest rates are negotiable and that dealers may retain a portion of financing charges as profit.