VW Willing To Retrofit Older Diesels, Won’t Buy Back Cars

Volkswagen is ready to support retrofitting older diesel models in order to make them less damaging to the environment. The German automaker could also offer incentives for drivers willing to swap their diesel-powered vehicle for a newer one.

According to Spiegel Online, during a conversation with German Transport Minister, Andreas Scheuer, VW CEO Herbert Diess said that his company will look to install more effective exhaust filters.

These measures come just as the German government is due to hold a diesel summit with Scheuer in attendance, who has already ruled out the notion of taxpayers contributing to any possible retrofits, reports Automotive News.

As for buying back older diesels, which has been discussed in the past, VW may now have rejected such a plan, as per a person familiar with the matter. The automaker has instead agreed to fit older diesel vehicles with better catalytic converters, after years of political pressure following the massive emissions cheating scandal.

Since then, certain German cities such as Hamburg have moved to ban older diesels, while others like Stuttgart are due to implement their own diesel ban come 2019.

Yet earlier this year, it was reported that car buyers affected by diesel bans could in turn rely on the Germany Guarantee solution proposed by VW and trade their cars in at participating dealerships.

“Volkswagen is committed to diesel and our current engines are among the cleanest on the market. With the Germany Guarantee and the diesel environmental incentive, we are offering our customers security when they choose a diesel and are on their side as a strong partner,” said the automaker’s sales and marketing boss, Thomas Zahn, at that time.