Volkswagen Woos Customers, Refuses to Settle With EPA

Detroit is buzzing with the excitement of the annual North American International Auto Show. Volkswagen is wooing customers with concept cars and the newest models. But behind the scenes, the company is still dodging settlements to protect the very consumers they are chasing.

At the North American International Auto Show, which takes over Detroit every January, auto manufacturers from all over the world bring their newest, best, and most outlandish vehicles to the Motor City in a pageant of mass proportions.

This year, though, one auto maker is having to work a little harder to woo the crowd. Volkswagen is working hard to repair the damage it did to its reputation by scamming the U.S. government and its citizens.

Last September, the company admitted to using software to cheat on environmental protection tests. Since then, there has been a freeze on the company's diesel sales as Volkswagen scrambled to meet the demands of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“I wouldn’t buy any VW until I see their resolution,” Aleese Heinzman, a Michigan resident, [told the New York Times] as she visited a General Motors exhibit on Saturday near the auto show. “Even then, you never know what’s going to happen in the next few years, or what else they are hiding.”

Now, the company has gone on the defensive, promising consumers they are “creating a different and better company, a new Volkswagen.” Matthias Müller, Volkswagen's Chief Executive, told the New York Times:

“We know we deeply disappointed our customers, the responsible government bodies, and the general public here in the U.S. I apologize for what went wrong at Volkswagen. We are totally committed to making things right.”

But their commitment hasn't resulted in a solution yet. Volkswagen and the government were still at an impasse after representatives met with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy on Wednesday, January 13, 2016. The EPA is insisting on swift repairs that do not negatively affect vehicle owners.

But EPA Director of Transportation and Air Quality Christopher Grundler told ABC News that VW's proposals fell short “in a lot of different areas.” The agency is calling on Volkswagen to either install bigger exhaust systems to trap harmful chemicals, or install chemical treatment processes to cut pollution. Either solution is so expensive, it may be less costly to simply buy back some older models, an option VW has already refused in the UK.

While Volkswagen continues to fight with the EPA over the solution to its lies, 600,000 American motorists are at risk – exposed to pollution up to 40 times the legal limit. Until Volkswagen steps up and makes the repairs needed, the American public will be the ones paying the price with their health.

Dani K. Liblang is a consumer protection attorney at The Liblang Law Firm, P.C. If you have been harmed by a defective vehicle, contact The Liblang Law Firm, P.C., for a free consultation today.