Auto News 5

The biggest news this week - announced only around beer o'clock last night, UK time, was Volkswagen AG and the US Justice Department reaching a deal "in principle" to sort out the little problem of excess emissions in nearly 600,000 diesel vehicles sold Over There. On the face of it, with much more detail yet to come, it seems like a sensible agreement - Judge Charles Breyer said the settlement was expected to include a buyback offer for nearly 500,000 two-litre vehicles and a possible fix if 'regulators' - we're talking Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) here - agree on it. The settlement would include an environmental remediation fund and additional compensation to owners to sell back or have vehicles fixed. The government and Volkswagen have until late June to complete a final "consent decree" and, this is interesting, that will face public comment before taking effect.