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VW Rejects Request to Compensate European Owners of Cheater Diesels

Volkswagen AG has again refused to offer European customers affected by its diesel emission scandal compensation akin to its program for U.S. owners.
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Volkswagen AG has again refused to offer European customers affected by its diesel emission scandal compensation akin to its program for U.S. owners.

European Commission Industry Minster Elzbieta Bienkowska asked VW CEO Matthias Mueller last week to consider the idea. But Mueller rejected the suggestion in a meeting with Bienkowska on Wednesday, reiterating that the situation in the two markets is not comparable.

In November VW began offering its affected diesel owners a “goodwill” package consisting of prepaid Visa credit cards worth $1,000 and three years of free roadside assistance. The plan is intended to offset the relatively high cost of diesel fuel in the U.S. while owners await agreement between VW and government officials about how to fix their vehicles.

At the time, VW said the U.S. plan would not be expanded into Europe, where repairs are to begin this month. The company reiterated its position on Wednesday. An unimpressed Bienkowska invited the company to think of some other way to compensate its European customers.

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