VW customers, dealers seek speedy action
FRANKFURT/BERLIN: Volkswagen must move quickly to recall and refit car models rigged to pass US emissions tests to limit the long-term impact on its reputation, dealers and consumer protection bodies say.
“To regain confidence, Volkswagen needs to indemnify any consumers affected by damage,” Klaus Mueller, head of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations, said in a statement.
“The company must either retrofit all affected vehicles or give the affected individuals the right to retrofitting.”
The German group has set aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) to help cover the costs of the crisis and said that 11 million of its cars could be affected worldwide. VW said in a statement on its websites that it could not yet say which models and years of construction were affected, adding it would provide further information as soon as possible.
“It goes without saying that we will take full responsibility and cover costs for the necessary arrangements and measures. But this process will take time,” VW said. Italian consumer group Altroconsumo said it, along with similar organisations in other European countries, was planning to write to Volkswagen demanding clear information on the situation immediately. Lawyers have already brought class actions on behalf of scores of car owners in the United States.
Ernst-Robert Nouvertne, who owns VW dealerships in the German town of Solingen, said how quickly VW refitted affected cars would be critical to reassuring customers, adding that several people had called to ask for information. “Customers are unsettled. It won’t just pass us by without problems. Some customers could switch to a petrol car,” he said, but noted Volkswagen should be shielded by the loyalty of its customers, at least in its home country.
Sven Rothluebbers wrote on Volkswagen’s German Facebook page: “VW must be held fully accountable, but please do not forget that Volkswagen has served Germany with great cars, jobs, social commitment and more the past 70 years!” However, market research company YouGov said it had recorded a big hit to the VW brand in the United States and Britain, where VW has tumbled into the lowest position among 34 brands.