Herndon, Virginia - Volkswagen is taking new steps to appease US customers and German union leaders unhappy with the company's response to a sweeping emissions cheating scandal that has claimed another high-profile executive, as head of corporate communications Andreas Lampersbach resigns.
The company is offering $1000 (R14 250) in credit, of which half is to be spent at VW and Audi dealerships, to US owners of certain diesel models that do not comply with government emissions standards.
The automaker said eligible US owners of nearly 500 000 VW and Audi models with two-litre TDI diesel engines could apply to receive a $500 prepaid Visa card and a $500 dealership card, and three years of free roadside assistance services.
The move was latest attempt to pacify owners who have been frustrated by how VW plans to fix affected models. The company has warned it could rack up multi-billion-euro costs to remedy the issue and repair the damage to its reputation.
“I guess it's a very small step in the right direction,” said Jeff Slagle, a diesel Golf owner in Wilton, Connecticut. “But it’s far from what I'd like to see in terms of being compensated.”
The scandal erupted in September when VW admitted it had rigged US tests for nitrogen oxide emissions. The crisis deepened last week when it said it had understated the carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption of vehicles in Europe.
VW said on Monday it was continuing to discuss potential remedies with US and California emissions regulators, including the possibility that some of the affected cars could be bought back from customers.
‘INSULTINGLY INADEQUATE’
In Washington, senators Richard Blumenthal and Edward Markey on Monday described VW's consumer program as “insultingly inadequate” and “a fig leaf attempting to hide the true depths of Volkswagen's deception.”
The senators said VW “should offer every owner a buy-back option” and “should state clearly and unequivocally that every owner has the right to sue.”
Late on Monday, attorneys general from 47 states and the District of Columbia issued a statement saying the automaker's offer to consumers “in no way diminishes the seriousness of the deceptive practices and environmental harms” being investigated by the states.
Slagle, who bought his vehicle in 2011, said he was surprised there were still no plans for how to fix the cars: “Even though they're clearly culpable, somehow they're in the driver's seat.”
VW has said about 482,000 cars sold in the United States since 2009 with four-cylinder diesel engines had software installed that allowed the engines to pass government tests for smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions, but pollute at levels far above government limits in normal operation.
CUSTOMER CREDIT
The automaker posted details of its “goodwill package” on the
VW said the customer offer did not cover models equipped with the 3.0 V6 TDI diesel engine, including the Touareg. The company last week told US and Canadian dealers to stop selling certain of those models from 2014-2016 after the US Environmental Protection Agency said VW group brands had installed illegal devices on some 3.0 V6 diesel models.
To qualify for the credit card offer, VW diesel owners must go to the company website , enter a vehicle identification number and provide mileage and contact information. VW will send the cards by mail. To activate the cards, owners then must take the vehicle to the dealer for verification.
VW said customers “don't have to sign anything” and will not be required to relinquish any legal rights.
MANAGEMENT, LABOUR TRUCE
In Germany, the financial impact of the scandal has exacerbated tensions between Volkswagen management and labour leaders over plans to cut spending by about €1 billion (R15.33 billion) per year until 2019 at its core Volkswagen brand operations.
On Monday, chief executive Matthias Mueller issued a joint statement with the top labour representative at the company, saying the union would be involved in a series of talks during the coming 10 days in decisions about the company's future.
“In the current difficult situation,” Mueller said in the statement, “we must take joint decisions which pay heed to the profitability as well as employment.”
VW union chief Bernd Osterloh said last Friday the announcement of cuts by VW brand chief Herbert Diess had broken German rules on co-determination by executives and labour, and demanded immediate talks with company bosses.
Labour leaders were irritated by Diess, who four months after taking the helm of the VW brand, has also ordered a freeze on managerial promotions in a move that limits the clout of the works council.
Osterloh said: “The challenges are huge but the workforce is backing the company as long as we manage to come up with a balanced strategy for investments, savings measures and future projects.”
VW's supervisory board is due to approve spending plans on plants, equipment and technology for coming years at a meeting on 20 November.
The 20-member panel, which gives nine seats apiece to workers and shareholder representatives, met at the Wolfsburg headquarters on Monday to discuss the latest findings on the diesel emissions scandal and the manipulation of carbon dioxide emissions data.
Reuters
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