Volkswagen's CEO has rejected calls for the carmaker to compensate customers in Europe over the 'Dieselgate' emissions scandal along the lines of its $15 billion deal in the United States, telling a German newspaper a similar settlement would be inappropriate and unaffordable.
Europe's Industry Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska last week called on Volkswagen to also compensate European owners of its diesel-powered cars, saying it would be unfair for them to be treated differently from US customers just because of a different legal system.
"We have a different situation here (in Europe)," Matthias Mueller was quoted as saying by Welt am Sonntag.
Mueller also said while VW was on a solid financial footing, replicating the US deal in Europe would be tough for VW to cope with financially.