Volkswagen AG is making progress settling U.S. legal claims from its emission-cheating scandal, but one challenge looms unresolved: What to do with the hundreds of thousands of diesel cars it is being forced to buy back?
The German automaker agreed last year to buy back about 500,000 diesels that it rigged to pass U.S. emissions tests if it can’t figure out a way to fix them. Except for a handful of 2015 models, VW dealers can’t sell the cars until — and unless — the company comes up with repairs to satisfy regulators. The costs for buying back or scrapping tainted diesel cars are part of the 22.6 billion euros ($23.9 billion) VW earmarked for expenses related to the scandal so far. VW Chief Executive Officer Matthias Mueller told journalists last month he's not aware of any further significant charges.
In the meantime, the company is hauling them to storage lots, such as ones at an abandoned NFL stadium outside Detroit, the Port of Baltimore and a decommissioned Air Force base in California.
About 15,000 VW owners are showing up at dealerships each week now to sell their Jettas, Golfs, Passats, Beetles and Audi A3s to the carmaker in exchange for payments of as much as $40,000. The agreement dictates that the cars can’t be put back on the road without being brought into environmental compliance, something that is almost certainly impractical for most of them. Even exporting them to countries with lesser emissions standards is forbidden.
In all, around 288,000 owners or lessees had opted for a buyback or early lease termination as of Feb. 18, of which 138,000 had been completed, according to the latest update filed with a court overseeing the settlement. Another 52,000 owners have said they want to keep their cars and are awaiting a fix.
>52,000 owners have said they want to keep their cars and are awaiting a fix
Ehat a bunch of retards. Hold on to your massively devalued piece of shit in hopes they'll neuter it and make it even worse? For what purpose?
Sebastian Rodriguez
>For what purpose? Presumably, they like the cars. There aren't a lot of great diesel passenger cars on the US market, and people get used to the range/mileage.
I'd assume some number of the people awaiting a fix are either hoping that they can get an AdBlue system installed that won't cripple the car's performance, or they're hoping to flash the car back to its "factory" configuration after getting the "fix" logged and passing smog.
Jacob Rogers
>I'd assume some number of the people awaiting a fix are either hoping that they can get an AdBlue system installed that won't cripple the car's performance, or they're hoping to flash the car back to its "factory" configuration after getting the "fix" logged and passing smog.
Why even bother getting the emissions fixed in the first place? Only a few super cucked placed actually test for emission in the US. Most people could just keep driving the cars.
Carson Morgan
>exporting them to countries with lesser emissions standards is forbidden.
why?
what does Ford / GM do with the millions of rental cars they produce?
Daniel Adams
>Even exporting them to countries with lesser emissions standards is forbidden. >reflash cars to abysmally shitty but emissions compliant tune >export to third world shithole >flash back to being a working car and sell them Typical Germans overthinking things.
Easton Johnson
There's nothing wrong with the cars you don't have to take the fix. They'll never be unable to be registered.
Angel Flores
There is nothing wrong with these cars. Without having to follow emission laws they got more power and fuel efficiency. As soon as VW "fixes" them, they can have the ECU flashed and go back to having decent power and fuel efficiency again.
Jacob Jenkins
Who wants to bet some owners are hoping an un-modified one will be worth boomerbux in a few years?
