Volkswagen Offers $500 Gift Cards To VW Owners

The latest update to the Volkswagen emissions crisis is the automaker trying to reach out to their customers by giving them what amounts to $1,000.

Volkswagen is going to give consumers a $500 prepaid Visa gift card and $500 credit for products or service from a VW store. The gift is part of a “goodwill package” that is available at vwdieselinfo.com where consumers see a video apology about the crisis and are directed to a page that explains the offer. These gifts are part of a hope of the part of VW to salvage customers who could be discouraged with the diesel emissions crisis.

To be eligible for the gifts, consumers have to have one of the VW or Audi 2.0 or potentially soon 3.0 diesel vehicles, which have the emissions “defeat device.” For the time being, VW is specifying that Tourareg models are not included in the deal.

This offer comes just over one month after Volkswagen offered to give their customers a $2,000 incentive for current VW owners toward to purchase of a hybrid or gas vehicle of the same brand. That $2,000 program was met with great skepticism on the DrivingSales Facebook page, as many felt it wasn’t enough.

What do you think of how Volkswagen is handling the diesel emissions crisis so far? They’ve apologized, offered $2,000 toward the purchase of a new vehicle and are now giving away $1,000 worth of gifts. Is it enough? If not, what more can Volkswagen do to help their customers and public image?