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It feels like we’ve been writing about Volkswagen’s emissions scandal,better known as ‘Dieselgate,’ for years. That’s because we have — almost half a decade,in fact. To round off the whole saga,the US’ Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has published a “final report” that notes just how much the Volkswagen Group,which includes Audi and Porsche,paid out to hoodwinked car buyers in the US: $9.5 billion. A make-good scheme set up in 2016 gave drivers two choices — return your vehicle and receive some financial compensation,or have it modified to comply with emissions regulations. Unsurprisingly,86 percent went with the cash option.
If you need a refresher (we don’t blame you if you do,it’s been a while),the Volkswagen group used “defeat devices” that knew when they were being tested and consumed more fuel to deliver better emissions scores. Afterwards,the vehicle would switch back — customers care about fuel economy,after all — and pump out far more nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere. As a result,Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned and many employees were suspended. The scandal encouraged legislators to investigate other automakers and uncover similar deceptions. It was also a factor in Volkswagen’s strategic shift toward the all-electric ID.x platform,which starts with the Golf-sized ID.3 later this year.
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