Yeah, but I'd prefer the penalties did something useful, and weren't just a cash transfer to people who got lucky and bought cars from an unethical manufacturer.
This wasn't exactly a fuel economy issue, it was more of an emissions cheat. I get great economy out of my Golf - higher than advertised. I agree that if they'd done the right thing w/ emissions that economy might have been worse and the car not as attractive.
The reason the cars got better fuel economy than competitors is because VW cheated on emissions. IOW, the deception wasn't in the economy numbers, but in how VW managed to pull that off.
I agree that it's a little weird to say that they got lucky, but a pretty big hint that they actually did is that I wish I were a part of the settlement. It's not like anybody was actually harmed. These owners are getting a great deal.
Did they have extra fuel expenses? My understanding is that VW bypassed emissions controls in order to maintain a high level of efficiency and performance. The environmental cost of that was externalized onto all of us.
Yeah, but I'd prefer the penalties did something useful
I think that sticking VW's head on a pike as a warning to others that may follow would qualify as "useful". The fact that owners are compensated for not getting what they thought they were buying can be viewed as a bonus.
Furthermore, if the owners weren't compensated, many of them would continue to drive these cars rather than sell them at a loss. The outcome would be worse for everyone who breathes air, not just the VW owners.
They didn't "get lucky". They were lied to by the company and sold a car under false pretenses.
Edit: I had the fuel economy bit wrong, my mistake. I've removed that portion. Thanks @mikestew, @gnoway, and @GavinMcG for the correction.