The ongoing VW diesel emissions scandal is causing considerable stress for owners of the 482,000 affected Volkswagen TDI models in the U.S.
But current owners of VWs--diesel or otherwise--could benefit from the situation, to some extent, in one very specific way.
That's because Volkswagen is willing to throw cash at them to keep them in the fold.
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The carmaker is offering a $2,000 loyalty bonus to current owners, good toward any new gasoline or hybrid 2015 or 2016 model, according to CarsDirect.
That deal also applies to the Touareg TDI SUV, which uses a different engine that so far hasn't been implicated in the cheating scandal.
The offer is good through November 2, and marks a fourfold increase from the previous, $500 loyalty bonus--which was limited to Jetta, Passat, and Golf GTI models.
2015 Volkswagen CC
The higher bonus doesn't require a trade-in, just proof of current VW ownership, such as a registration form, title, or lease contract.
Owners can also extend the incentive to other members of their households, and it can be combined with nearly all other current VW incentives.
That includes unadvertised cash incentives that dealers can apply to individual sales at their own discretion.
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The amount varies by model, so buyers can realize greater savings depending on what they choose.
The biggest incentives--worth up to $4,000 more--are available for the CC "four-door coupe," Eos convertible, and Touareg.
All of these models are relatively slow sellers. In comparison, the more popular Golf SportWagen gets a $750 discount.
2015 Volkswagen Touareg
Available discounts can also vary among trim levels of the same model.
The Passat 1.8T Special Edition is not the cheapest Passat trim, but it does get the most discounts.
Those discounts max out at $2,750--which is $750 more than any other Passat, CarsDirect says.
While it stopped selling both new and used models equipped with the implicated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines on September 19, VW posted a 0.6 percent sales gain last month, according to Automotive News (subscription required).
However, that number may have been due to momentum built up earlier in the month.
But sales of the Golf and Jetta--two of the more popular models for TDI powertrains--were down 37 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
October sales will be reported on November 2 or 3.
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