Detroit: Owners of 482,000 diesel Volkswagens and Audis in the US are eligible for $1,000 (Rs 66,000) in gift cards and vouchers as the automaker strives to placate customers dismayed by an emissions-rigging scandal.

VW announced the offer on Monday. The car owners have been in limbo since mid-September, when VW admitted the cars are equipped with software that turns on pollution controls during government tests and turns them off while on the road.