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US and German transportation heads to meet over Volkswagen woes

Between expanded recalls and investigation mishaps, the scandal surrounding the German automaker is starting to play out like a television drama.

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
Andrew Krok
2 min read
2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

Volkswagen's diesel recall makes it all the way to Brazil this week.

Antuan Goodwin/CNET

The fallout from Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal isn't over yet. Germany's minister of transportation will meet with US federal officials next week amid plummeting diesel resale values, expanding vehicle recalls and a missing investigation file.

Governments and the general public continue to scrutinize Volkswagen after the German automaker last month admitted to using software in its diesel vehicles that skirts emissions standards . The cheater software is installed in 11 million cars globally . Several governments have begun investigations into Volkswagen to determine who knew what and when.

German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt and US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx will meet Monday to talk about the scandal , reported Reuters, citing unnamed "German transport ministry" sources. Dobrindt is also interested in discussing the matter with the EPA, said Reuters.

Volkswagen on Thursday issued a statement clarifying which European Union engines are equipped with the so-called "defeat device" software used to skirt emissions regulations. The automaker said both variants of the current four-cylinder diesel engine, EA288, do not contain the software in question and will not be subject to recall. VW will begin work to fix the affected European models in January, according to the release. There is no timeline set for US cars.

The automaker this week expanded recalls to South America. Volkswagen is recalling 17,057 Amarok pickup trucks because they contain "defeat device" software. VW could face a fine of $13 million (about £8.5M or AU$18M) if it's found to be in violation of Brazilian law.

Meanwhile, VW diesels currently on the road are seeing their values plummet. The average auction price for a diesel Volkswagen has dropped 16 percent since "Dieselgate" began, according to a Kelley Blue Book study. KBB noted that the average selling price for a gas-powered VW is down almost three percent, as well.

Finally, in a story that could be adapted from a television drama, Reuters reported that German officials in Lower Saxony have lost a file pertaining to their VW investigation. Despite interviewing several employees, authorities have not been able to locate the document in question, which contains "printouts and duplicates of documents, most of which are available online, as well as in-house notes on legal questions." They said the missing information was not vital to the investigation.