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Volkswagen Customers In Korea Will Not Get Buyback Offer

Volkswagen’s South Korean customers will not get buyback offers for their Dieselgate-affected cars. According to a report, Korean customers will probably be skipped from the compensation plan approved for the USA, just like their German counterparts.
Volkswagen 2.0-liter TDI engine 1 photo
Photo: Volkswagen
Industry insiders claim that the decision to skip these offers for the South Korean market was linked to the popularity of Volkswagen models in the country, as well as the fact that diesel engines are still popular on the market, even those from VW’s lineup.

As Korea Times reports, a local official from the German corporation explained that the lack of compensation for owners of dieselgate-affected vehicles comes from the laws that are applicable in the country.

Meanwhile, in the USA, customers are better protected from these situations, especially if we are talking about manufacturer-admitted faults.

Some unnamed industry insiders from South Korea do not agree, as they believe that Volkswagen did not offer its customers any buyback options or compensation because the company still registers solid sales figures for its diesel cars.

One of the officials of a domestic automaker explained under the cover of anonymity that he believes that South Koreans do not care about emissions that much, and this would justify Volkswagen’s sales results for diesel models.

Volkswagen has yet to received approval for the submitted recall plans for the Dieselgate-affected vehicles sold in South Korea. The German automaker filed three propositions, but they were dismissed by local authorities because they had “poor and insincere content.”

Local authorities have begun to focus on eco-friendly cars, and are planning legislation changes to favor cars that do not have a severe impact on the environment.

The Dieselgate situation is not the only problem faced by Volkswagen in South Korea, as regulators have discovered the corporation was involved in manipulating noise and emission charts for its models. The reported flaws were found after a government organization raided the local headquarters of the German company while seeking for evidence for the Dieselgate situation.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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