Volkswagen agrees to compensate more owners of emissions-cheating diesel vehicles in the US
German automaker Volkswagen has taken another step to make good on its emissions-cheating scandal.
Today, the company agreed on a mix of buybacks and fixes for around 80,000 3.0-litre diesel VW, Porsche and Audi vehicles, a US federal judge said in a San Francisco hearing.
The German software developer for the VW diesels, Robert Bosch GmbH, also agreed in principle to settle civil allegations made by US diesel vehicle owners, and Reuters reported the settlement was expected to be worth more than $300m (£243m).
In June, VW agreed to pay $14.7bn (£11.8bn) to settle claims relating to the scandal, in which 475,000 US 2.0-litre diesel cars were fitted with secret software that allowed them to appear cleaner than they were in emissions tests. The vehicles emitted up to 40 times legal pollution levels.
The 80,000 3.0-litre vehicles had an undeclared auxiliary emissions system that allowed them to emit up to nine times the limit.
The new deal was reached with the Justice Department, US Environmental Protection Agency and California state officials.
VW agreed to contribute another $225m (£182m) to a fund to offset excess diesel emissions, the US Justice Department said.
Volkswagen agreed to add at least three electric vehicles in California by 2020, and it must sell an average of 5,000 electric vehicles annually. The company also agreed to pay California's state air board $25m (£20m), the state said.
Volkswagen spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said the deal "is another important step forward in our efforts to make things right for our customers", Reuters reported.
Another hearing has been set for Thursday for an update.