News Nov 27, 2015 07:18 AM EST

Audi gives $1,000 to owners as good will apology for Dieselgate

By Staff Writer

Following Volkswagen's move, Audi has also apologized for the Dieselgate scandal by offering up to $1,000 to owners as part of its goodwill program.

In a report by Wochit on YouTube, as part of Audi's good will program, the company will give the owners of the A3 2-liter TDI Diesel models affected by Diesel gate two $500 gift cards and up to three years of free road side assistance. Most owners will use the gift cards at dealers to have their cars serviced.

Audi's move is similar with Volkswagen's apologies. According to a report by The Election Central, Volkswagen debuted a program last Monday that covers owners of car models from 2009 to 2015 with "defeat devices" software that can manipulate US emission tests. These owners will get $1,000, in addition to the $2,000 VW gave them to trade their cars for new ones.

Meanwhile, Mashable reported that everyone they spoke with said the $1,000 gift card is insulting. However, if they want to avail the goodwill offering by Audi, they have to register online using their car's VIN number, their driver's license, and a proof of ownership. The owners will get the package, four weeks after they register.

The first $500 can be spent anywhere the owners want, while the other $500 can only be for in-dealership spending. Those who are no longer part of the factory warranty plan to use the entire gift card to get their cars serviced, while those who are still under the warranty don't know where to use their in-dealer $500.

This goodwill program, however, doesn't include the bigger 3.0-liter diesels that were also included in the Deiselgate scandal. According to Audi, it is now developing a software repair for these models, which will cost them some "mid-double-digit millions of euros." Meanwhile, Volkswagen has already submitted a plan to the Environmental Protection Agency to fix the 2.0-liter diesel, but they haven't made these plans public yet.


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