Europe’s Commissioner for Justice is working with EU consumer groups to pressure Volkswagen to compensate buyers in Europe as it has in the United States over the diesel emissions scandal.
The German carmaker has pledged up to $15.3 billion to compensate 475,000 owners of VW diesel-powered cars, but has so far rejected such calls for the 8.5 million affected vehicles in Europe, where different legal rules weaken the chances of winning a pay out.
Instead, it is implementing a technical fix approved by regulators to remove illicit software that cheated emissions tests, saying this meant car owners in Europe would not suffer a loss of value. Most U.S. owners will get $5,100 to $10,000, based on the pre-scandal value of their vehicles.