Volkswagen overstated fuel economy on 98K U.S. vehicles, will reimburse consumers

Volkswagen AG must forfeit greenhouse gas emissions credits and is lowering the fuel economy ratings on 98,000 vehicles after the Environmental Protection Agency said vehicle software overstated real-world performance.

Volkswagen said Friday it had agreed to a court settlement worth $96.5 million to reimburse eligible customers for the fuel economy restatement.

The agency said the software was on roughly 1 million 2013-2017 Audi, Bentley, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles and caused the transmission to shift gears during the EPA-prescribed emissions test in a manner that sometimes optimizes fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions during the test, but not under normal driving conditions. The EPA said Volkswagen has determined the software lowered the fuel economy rating on roughly 98,000 vehicles by approximately one mile per gallon.

Reporting by David Shepardson.