Volkswagen emissions scandal: Manufacturer considers buying back US cars

Volkswagen is considering buying back thousands of diesel vehicles in the US. The German car-maker is in ongoing talks with the US Environmental Protection Agency about the emission scandal that was uncovered in September 2015, but the parties have not come to a conclusion yet.

The cars that might be recalled have diesel engines and the emissions software installed which do not comply with US emissions standard and are difficult to fix. The EPA has not ordered VW to do so.

"We've been having a large amount of technical discussions back and forth with Volkswagen," EPA administrator Gina McCarthy told Bloomberg on 7 January. "We haven't made any decisions on that."

This comes as the company's CEO Matthias Mueller is due to meet the EPA in January. According to reports, VW executives initiated the meeting to get a better understanding of the situation following several probes and investigations into the manufacturer.

On 4 January, the US Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit representing the EPA under the Clean Air Act. This could result in $20bn ($14bn) worth of fines and possible additional penalties.

Countless private lawsuits have been filed against VW by disappointed drivers, and former Porsche head Mueller faces another criminal investigation as well as German national probes.