Volkswagen will pay 193 million pounds ($242 million) as part of an out-of-court settlement to around 91,000 British drivers over a diesel emissions scandal that engulfed Europe’s largest carmaker in 2015, reported Reuters.
Volkswagen on Wednesday again apologized to customers in England and Wales as it pledged to rebuild trust.
“The settlement is another important milestone as the Volkswagen Group continues to move beyond the deeply regrettable events leading up to September 2015,” Philip Haarmann, the chief legal officer at VW, said in a statement.
But the company, which is also contributing towards claimants’ legal costs and other fees, made no admissions in respect of liability, causation or loss, saying the costs of London trials and appeals made it prudent to seek a settlement.
Volkswagen has said about 11 million cars worldwide – and 1.2 million in Britain – were fitted with software that cheated diesel emissions tests designed to limit nitrogen oxide (NOx) car fumes.
Volkswagen admitted in 2015 to cheating U.S. diesel engine tests, which sparked the biggest crisis in Volkswagen’s history and has cost the German company more than 32 billion euros ($38 billion) in vehicle refits, fines and legal costs.
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