On 14th November 2017, Volkswagen AG agreed to pay some £49.4 million to settle emissions claims made by the state of New Jersey in the U.S. It’s one of the last major state claims made against Volkswagen in the nation, and its caused further anger for some in the U.K. given VW are refusing to pay a single penny to victims over here.
The multi-million pound settlement is a small addition to the approximate £17 billion the major car-maker has reportedly agreed to spend on handling the emissions scandal in the U.S.
So far, VW is believed to have spent a significant proportion of this budget on settling class actions and individual claims, as well as paying compensation to consumers and funding buy-back schemes, and paying for government penalties. Some has gone toward environmental projects dedicated to improving air quality.
This is all great news for the U.S, but Volkswagen is still yet to take any real action in addressing the 1.2 million Volkswagen group cars in the U.K that are potentially costing owners money, and continue to spew out harmful NOx pollution into the air we breathe at higher volumes than expected. Due to differences in emissions laws across the pond, Volkswagen may have had more motivation to settle matters in the U.S first as the penalties can be much harsher.
New Jersey’s attorney general confirmed the settlement. Before this settlement, the state asserted that Volkswagen would have to face more than $1.2 billion in maximum penalties.
In settling the claims quickly, Volkswagen has potentially saved more than a few bucks.
Governor of the North-Eastern state, Chris Christie, spoke about Volkswagen’s apparent greed and where it has landed them.
The Governor said in a statement:
“The company put market share ahead of integrity and profit ahead of lawful compliance, and we held them accountable.”
Alongside compensation awards, settlement sums and generous buy-back schemes, Volkswagen has been implementing “fixes” on their affected vehicles in a bid to reduce the amount of NOx being released. In October, U.S and Californian regulators approved an update for around 38,000 3.0-litre VW vehicles.
We can only hope these fixes are more effective than the ones here in the U.K. as numerous owners are complaining that the “fix” is not a fix, but rather a compromise that is adversely affecting vehicles.
VW have previously suggested that the “fix” doesn’t have an adverse impact on vehicle performance, yet many of our clients have come forward to dispute this. On some cases, “fixed” VW cars have suddenly lost power whilst being driving on busy motorways.
Volkswagen’s refusal to properly address the British consumers they have wronged and in a timely manner is unacceptable. This is why we’re helping thousands of clients bring their claims against Volkswagen to hold them accountable and demand compensation for the harm they have caused.
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