Q7

Make
Audi
Segment
SUV

Volkswagen and the US government have finally figured out what to do about the 3.0-liter TDI engines caught up in Dieselgate. Those V6 diesels made up a much smaller chunk of the over half a million cars caught up in the emissions-skirting scandal. Of the 83,000 cars equipped with the larger TDI engine, 63,000 (MY 2013-2016) will be recalled. If a fix is found and approved those Volkswagens, Porsches and Audis will be returned to the people who own them. If not they will be bought back or the leases for them terminated.

The remaining 20,000 cars, Volkswagens and Audis from 2009-2012, will be bought back or have the leases for them terminated. If a fix is approved for these cars affected owners have the option to keep the. The US district judge who provided over the case, Charles Breyer, told Reuters that exact details of the compensation owners will receive hasn't been decided just yet. He did say that regardless of whether a car is bought back or fixed, the owner would receive "substantial compensation." VW will also contribute $225 million to an environmental remediation trust it established after its initial settlement. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will also get $25 million to fund the development of electric vehicles.

According to Reuters the final sum of the settlement is expected to hit $1 billion. Of that we don't know how much will be going to the 83,000 Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen customers currently driving dirty diesels. It's a bit tricky to estimate since a large chunk of the cars aren't being bought back outright. The buy back will likely be similar to what is in place for the 2.0-liter TDI models, with a value calculate from the month before Dieselgate broke. But what will those who have to wait for their cars to get fixed get? Regardless, it's nice to see 3.0-liter TDI owners finally get theirs. Our only question is, will they strip their Porsches and Audis before returning them? Stomrtrooper screencap via Greenpeace and on YouTube.