VW chief to present emissions scandal fixes to EPA

“We have to fix our credibility, too”.

VW has been tight-lipped about Mueller’s schedule during his visit, but the US Environmental Protection Agency has said he is scheduled to meet with its administrator Gina McCarthy on Wednesday.

But Cars.com editor Joe Wiesenfelder said the outlook for diesel growth in the United States is hazy because lower gasoline prices reduces consumer interest in fuel economy.

Mr. Müller told The Wall Street Journal on the sidelines of a company’s event on the eve of the Detroit Motor Show that he planned to present Ms. McCarthy a “package solution” to fixing almost 600,000 tainted diesel vehicles sold in the U.S.

According to Eric T. Schneiderman, New York’s attorney general, they are growing wary with the kind of cooperation given to them by Volkswagen. Notably, federal prosecutors did not go so far as to launch criminal charges against the company or any of the individuals alleged to have been involved, notwithstanding the US federal government’s recent pledge to increase crack downs on executives responsible for corporate wrongdoing.

The U.S. Justice Department, representing EPA, filed a civil lawsuit last week that could potentially expose VW to more than $20 billion in fines under the Clean Air Act.

But they said Volkswagen could lose that loyalty if it fails to come up with a comprehensive plan.

New CEO Matthias Mueller sends his strongest signal yet Volkswagen no longer will make becoming the world’s biggest automaker its primary target.

Mueller said the source of the dispute is variations between German and USA laws governing corporate documents. We haven’t been that.

Volkswagen of America Michael Horn told reporters that the talks on Wednesday are predominantly “political” in nature rather than technical. This week’s EPA meeting is “predominately a political discussion”, he said, and it’s unclear whether a deal will be reached. “I think it’s good also that our board and Matthias Mueller are meeting with stakeholders here in general to improve the situation, to speed up things”.

The investment at VW’s Chattanooga plant will create approximately 2,000 jobs, Mueller said.

Volkswagen’s US sales slipped almost 5 percent a year ago to 349,440 vehicles.

“TDI was 25 percent of our business”. Horn said it took automaker’s management team in Germany two weeks to approve the 1,000-dollar “bonus” for the United States owners, something that under the prior management would have taken six months.