Monday, 09 November 2015 23:27
,000 in gift cards” alt=”VW offers US diesel car owners ,000 in gift cards” width=”600″ height=”382″ src=”https://globalrubbermarkets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/vw-offers-us-diesel-car-owners-1000-in-gift-cards.jpg”>WASHINGTON: Volkswagen’s US arm offered owners of its diesel cars, tainted by an emissions scandal, a “goodwill package” of $ 1,000 worth of gift and fidelity cards on Monday.
Volkswagen of America said each owner of cars with 2.0 liter diesel engines that violate US rules on emissions of poisonous nitrogen oxide gases will receive a $ 500 prepaid Visa credit card and $ 500 in credits at VW dealerships to support their loyalty to the brand.
In addition, owners will receive three years of free roadside assistance.
“We are working tirelessly to develop an approved remedy for affected vehicles,” said Volkswagen Group of America president and chief executive Michael Horn in a statement.
“In the meantime, we are providing this goodwill package as a first step towards regaining our customers’ trust.”
VW subsidiary Audi will offer a similar package to owners of Audi models with the same engines, the company said.
The package comes after VW admitted in September that its 2.0 liter diesel cars from the model years 2009-2015 were secretly equipped with software that cheated on emissions tests, hiding from US environmental regulators the real level of emissions from the cars.
Investigators showed the true nitrogen oxide emissions were up to 40 times the permitted level.
Some 500,000 cars in the United States are affected; worldwide, the total is more than 11 million.
Volkswagen is facing potentially tens of billions of dollars’ worth of fines, compensation costs and lawsuit damages in the case, which has deeply shaken the world’s number-two automaker.
The offer Monday made no mention of Volkswagen’s 3.0 liter diesels, installed in higher-end VW, Audi and Porsche models, which US regulators have also alleged have software that hides their emissions levels in tests.
VW has disputed that allegation.
