Volkswagen extends flimsy olive branch to diesel owners: $1,000 in gift cards

While diesel owners and government bodies await Volkswagen's plan to fix its emissions-cheating diesel engines, the German automaker is offering a virtual olive branch to owners.

Volkswagen unveiled a new "customer goodwill package" on Monday for its 2.0-liter TDI diesel owners affected by Dieselgate. The program consists of two $500 prepaid Visa cards; one will be open and unrestricted, usable anywhere the owner chooses, and the second will only be usable at a VW dealership.

In addition, the package includes three years of free roadside assistance for the affected vehicles, which VW has admitted were fitted with software designed to cheat government tailpipe emissions tests. The German automaker said around 500,000 of its four-cylinder diesel vehicles in the U.S. produce as much as 40 times the legal limit of pollutants Read more...