Volkswagen, Porsche Paid Out $9.5 Billion To Defrauded Dieselgate Drivers

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The logo of German car maker Volkswagen is seen on flags fluttering in front of a car dealer in Hamm, western Germany, on May 25. One of VW’s many legal settlements over the Dieselgate scandal has finally been carried to its conclusion, the FTC says.

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Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

The Two-Way
Why 300,000 Volkswagens Are Being Stored In These Massive Auto Boneyards

Compensating the owners or lessees of more than 550,000 vehicles in the U.S. took some time. The vast majority of owners — 86% — opted to sell their vehicles back to the manufacturer, rather than choose a modification to the vehicle.

It was the largest false advertising action ever taken by the FTC, and the agency has now declared it «one of the most successful consumer redress programs in history.»

Volkswagen faces a number of other lawsuits around the globe. And in addition to compensating consumers, it has paid out billions to compensate for the environmental damage caused by the scandal.

Among other things, the carmaker is spending a decade investing $2 billion in building electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the U.S.

VW, like many automakers, is also vowing to produce electric vehicles in large numbers in the years ahead.

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• automakers
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• FTC
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• Federal Trade Commission