AP Source: VW to offer gift cards, vouchers to diesel owners

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By TOM KRISHER

DETROIT (AP) — Volkswagen, in an effort to appease owners of small diesel-powered cars involved in an emissions cheating scandal, plans to offer them $1,000 in gift cards and vouchers, according to a dealer familiar with the plans.

The offers would be a gesture of goodwill to 482,000 owners of cars whose 2-liter four-cylinder diesel engines have been implicated in the growing scandal, according to the dealer. The offer could be announced to dealers on Monday and made public later in the day.

A spokesman at VW's U.S. headquarters in Herndon, Virginia, wouldn't comment Monday.

According to the dealer, owners would get a $500 Visa debit card to spend on anything they wish and a $500 voucher for oil changes, service or merchandise from dealers. The dealer didn't want to be identified because details of the program haven't been announced.

FULL story at link.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/46c04799225f4954babd76261e1b9a0f/ap-source-vw-offer-gift-cards-vouchers-diesel-owners

[Gman]

1. Typical corporate response to people

Who couldn't give away, much less sell or trade in their VW.

[burfman]

2. NY Times calculated deaths caused by the VW scandal between 40 & 106

From NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/upshot/how-many-deaths-did-volkswagens-deception-cause-in-us.html?_r=2

From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_emissions_scandal#Deaths

Deaths[edit]
A statistical and computer analysis by a group of scientists working with The Associated Press estimated that the practice caused between 16 and 94 deaths in the United States. The Associated Press said that an open source EPA model placed the estimate at 12 to 69 deaths. These studies were based on past epidemiological studies, which have found that, on average, an extra 1300 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions causes one death.[114] The New York Times cited estimates of 40 and 106 deaths in the U.S.[115] This death toll was limited because Volkswagen diesel cars represent fewer than 1% of the cars on the road in the U.S.,[115] but there may have been hundreds killed in Europe where the vehicles are more common.[114] A peer-reviewed study published in Environmental Research Letters determined that approximately 59 premature deaths will be caused by the excess pollution produced between 2008 and 2015 by vehicles equipped with the defeat device in the U.S., the majority due to particulate pollution (87%) with the remainder due to ozone (13%). The study also found that that making these vehicles emissions compliant by the end of 2016 would avert an additional 130 early deaths.[116][117]

[weknowvino2]

3. Gift Cards & Vouchers?

This is so fucking insulting to all of us who paid several thousand dollars extra for their diesel cars. If VW thinks that this will appease us, they are going to find out otherwise. Their actions represent criminal fraud, and they aren't going to make this go away by throwing a few crumbs our way.

I have joined a class action suit & it is my hope that all other affected VW diesel owners do the same. It is time to teach these corporations that they can't get away with this shit.
Am I angry??? You bet'cha!!

[Justice]

4. Here is what VW diesel owners have lost

Paid premium for the diesel - about $4,000-$5,000 - lost.

Cannot trade it in to VW for a non-diesel because trade in value dropped since September 1 - blue book is about 75% of what it was BUT VW dealers are offering only 40-60% of blue book - so huge loss. Offering $2,000 as an incentive doesn't help at all when looking at loss in value of $7,000-$10,000.

Cannot sell the car for anything - no one will pay anything for it.


So a gift card is lovely and all -- but the real plan should be how to get VW diesel owners away from the diesel cars. How to help them trade in for nondiesel just to get away from them.

[thesquanderer]

5. They should give "full value" trade-in credits

If you were the original purchaser of one of these cars, and you still have it, they should give you a credit for the full price you paid minus so-many-cents per mile that you used it, and allow you to use that credit on any new or pre-owned car from the dealer.

It's not a complete solution, but would be a good piece of one.

[whatthehey]

12. Strange - I'm in the market for an economical wagon and still see sky high prices

I'd be more than willing to offer far more than 50% of Blue Book trade in for a recent sportwagon with low miles. No emissions test here so I'd never need to worry and prefer the better mpg. Pricing here seems to still be about 70% of sticker for 2013 under 40k miles

[Cassiopeia]

15. 2013 is still too new.

The owners can't sell for less because they owe too much still. 2011 would be a more realistic year to find that deep savings.

[olddots]

6. can the cars be converted to bio diesle ?

Just asking ?

[jmowreader]

7. That wouldn't be hard, but it won't completely solve the emissions problem

Biodiesel has more solvent action than petrodiesel. You have to change all the hoses to biodiesel-compatible ones, and change the fuel filter several times because the fuel WILL clean all the crud out of your fuel system and if you're not careful it'll carry it into your injectors - which will do horrific things to them.

Biodiesel produces more NOx than petrodiesel, and that's one of the pollutants VW's hacked engines are making a shitload of. They're going to have to retrofit all those cars for selective catalytic reduction: a SCR reactor, a tank to hold diesel exhaust fluid, plumbing between the two, and electronics to run the system will all have to be provided. It won't be a simple fix and it will be a very expensive one - finding somewhere to put the DEF tank's filler neck is going to be a pain in the ass and that's probably the easiest thing they'll have to do.

[PSPS]

8. LOL. Yes, a $500 "store credit" will fix everything.

[PasadenaTrudy]

9. Ridiculous

and insulting to VW owners.

[Vincardog]

10. Anyone with a VW TDI near Iowa give me a call and I will buy it.

[hatrack]

11. Ooh! A $500 gift card for a car that lost $5,000 in value thanks to VW malfeasance!

Who's advising them, Martin Shkreli?

[warrprayer]

13. if detroit cars were subjected to the same tests

That V.W.s were subjected to, I wonder how much software or other trickery would be exposed?
Given VW's union friendly stance, I have to wonder about how this came to light.
Interesting that the man who did the tests that exposed this got his degree from the University of Michigan.

[coyote]

14. Don't think that VW was the only one in on this,

There are far worse like jeep, Opel (GM), ford, fiat, hell...the entire industry.