Volkswagen Offering $1,000 To US Customers Affected By Diesel Emissions Scandal

(RTTNews) - German car giant Volkswagen (VKW.L, VLKAF.PK, VOW.BE), Monday announced a goodwill offer of $1,000 to its U.S. customers who own 2.0-liter diesel engine cars that were affected by emission scandals.

Volkswagen is offering its customers a $500 Visa gift card and also offering a $500 dealership card. The offer also includes free 24-hour roadside assistance for three years.

In September, Volkswagen admitted that its vehicles did not meet the required U.S. emissions standards. US regulators accused Volkswagen of installing software to defeat emissions controls on nearly half a million diesel vehicles sold in the U.S. since 2008.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or EPA has alleged that Volkswagen used software, dubbed a "defeat device", on these vehicles that turned off emission controls during all normal driving conditions and turned the full emissions controls on only during an emission test.

The allegations cover the VW Jetta, VW Beetle, VW Golf and Audi A3 of model years from 2009 to 2015, and the VW Passat from model years 2014 and 2015.

Audi will also offer a goodwill package, Volkswagen said.