SAN FRANCISCO, June 24 (UPI) -- Volkswagen has agreed to a $10.2 billion settlement to resolve its emissions scandal, sources close to negotiations between the U.S. government and the company said.
The U.S. Justice Department sued Volkswagen AG in January, on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, after it was discovered that nearly 500,000 cars with two-liter, diesel engines had software installed to reduce their air pollution readings during government tests but allowed higher-than-advertised pollution ratings on the highway. The cheat devices, eventually found on 11 million diesel-powered Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche cars, allowed the cars to release over 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen oxide.