If you own a Volkswagen with a diesel engine in the U.S., the company will buy back your car and give you as much as $10,000. If you drive in Europe, you may only get a piece of pipe.
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The reasons for the wide disparity between the proposals stems from equally large differences in legal and regulatory structures in each region. The tab on the eastern side of the Atlantic has been held in check by factors ranging from the lack of U.S.-style class-action lawsuits to regulators who have approved repairs that were insufficient for their American counterparts.
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The Wolfsburg, Germany-based carmaker has also been the beneficiary of EU environmental rules, which are less strict on diesel engines. Europe doesn’t clearly ban switch-off devices -- the bit of software at the heart of the scandal -- and allow them to be used if they help protect the engine.
www.bloomberg.com/ne...-in-the-eu