Volkswagen Nears $3B Criminal Agreement: Report
Volkswagen may soon finalize an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to resolve civil and criminal investigations held in the wake of the company’s diesel scandal.
The settlement, according to unnamed sources who spoke to Reuters, could include a penalty of more than $3-billion and reforms mandated by an outside organization.
The agreement comes after concerted efforts from both Volkswagen and the U.S. Justice Department who reportedly want to resolve the case before the Trump administration takes over.
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According to Reuters, though the agreement is not final, its announcement could come next week.
This $3-billion is on top of the nearly $15-billion that VW already agreed to pay to compensate 2.0-liter TDI owners.
An agreement in this criminal case would be a milestone for VW, which seems to finally be regaining US trust. For the last two months, the automaker finally saw growing sales numbers and with new products coming out (Atlas, Tiguan LWB, updated Golf) this could be VW’s chance to put the TDI scandal behind it.
A version of this story originally appeared on VWVortex
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Sebastien is a roving reporter who covers Euros, domestics, and all things enthusiast. He has been writing about the automotive industry for four years and obsessed with it his whole life. He studied English at the Wilfrid Laurier University. Sebastien also edits for AutoGuide's sister sites VW Vortex, Fourtitude, Swedespeed, GM Inside News, All Ford Mustangs, and more.
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Not sure how people can buy VW after the TDI nonsense. If these guys are willing to cheat the system and cut corners like this, I can't imagine it started and stopped with the Diesel engines / vehicles in general. I'd be afraid to drive a VW. It will take a while for them to regain my trust.