Volkswagen admitted on Nov. 9, Sunday, that it had exaggerated fuel economy and played down carbon dioxide emissions for cars sold in Europe. This was after internal whistle-blowers provided information about the gas car cheating.
An engineer at the German multinational automotive manufacturing company had given information about tests for carbon dioxide emissions and fuel economy manipulated by employees, such as by filling tires with more air than normal, the company confirmed.
In a statement obtained by The New York Times, the company headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany said, "In the course of internal investigations, employees have admitted that there were irregularities in communication of fuel consumption values."
Also on Nov. 9, Sunday, Volkswagen said it would announce a new sales initiative in the United States soon. This is part of the company's attempt to win back the trust of dealers and customers amid its emissions-cheating scandal.
According to a U.S. car dealer briefed by a Volkswagen field representative about the initiative, Volkswagen plans to make an announcement about the two debit cards to be issued to each owner of diesel-powered cars that were affected by the emissions crisis.
One of the debit cards will be a simple cash gift that customers can use at their discretion while the other card will be for purchases at a Volkswagen dealership only. Without providing other details, a Volkswagen spokesman confirmed that there was a planned sales initiative.
"Volkswagen of America informed its dealers about a planned initiative," Wall Street Journal quoted the Volkswagen spokesman as saying.