Volkswagen says 120000 U.S. diesel owners will get gift cards, repairs

Volkswagen manipulated the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission levels of more petrol-powered vehicles than previously disclosed, a spokesman for the carmaker said on Monday.

The emissions-rigging scandal that has engulfed German auto giant Volkswagen will not diminish sales of one of its luxury brands in the United States, the head of Audi of America predicted Wednesday.

“We are discussing with the agencies on Friday all the remedies and afterwards there will be a communication”, Horn said.

All the cars are now being retested in Germany, it said.

The bottomless scandal… Most of the VW scandal so far has been about diesel vehicles that were rigged with technology that detects when an emission test is being performed, modifying how the engine operates during the test to pass, but polluting orders of magnitude more the rest of the time.

Jeannine Ginivan, spokeswoman for VW said that 120,000 auto owners had signed up for the gift cards which is around a quarter of the 482000 vehicle owners who were covered by this emissions scandal. After the solution is presented by the automaker, it has to be approved by the Californian regulators, and also by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

“It is essential to examine these allegations and to ensure that the government and European Union take action to restore public confidence”, she said.

Last week, Volkswagen said it was offering a US$500 prepaid Visa gift card, a separate card good for US$500 toward services at a VW dealerships and free 24-hour roadside assistance for three years.

VW CEO Matthias Mueller aimed to recall the affected vehicles beginning in January, he added.

The defeat device allows cars to have more power and save more fuel, but spew more pollutants into the air, including nitrogen oxides, in amounts much higher than permitted emissions standards.