EU wants VW to offer ‘dieselgate’ repair guarantees

The EU wants German auto giant Volkswagen to offer customers additional guarantees that repairs carried out to remove its emissions cheating devices will be effective and delivered on time, an official said Monday. The European Commission had sent VW a letter urging it to do more for European Union consumers unhappy that their American peers are getting a better deal, according to the official, who requested anonymity.

“We need VW to guarantee, in a legally binding way and without any time limit, that the repairs will work and do not have any negative impact,” the official said, citing the letter from EU Justice and Consumer Protection Commissioner Vera Jourova. The letter also called on VW to “take steps toward voluntary compensation” and to look at possibly buying the affected cars back, the official added.

VW admitted in September 2015 that it had installed so-called defeat devices on millions of diesel cars which detected when they were being tested and then drastically reduced emissions so as to comply with regulations.

Brussels has been under fire for dragging its feet on Volkswagen compared to the United States, where authorities not only exposed the wrongdoing, but secured a $16.5-billion (14.8-billioneuro) settlement. (AFP)