Volkswagen's CEO says he's "endlessly sorry'' for the company's diesel emissions scandal and is pledging a fast and thorough investigation.
Martin Winterkorn said in a video message Tuesday: "We are asking, I am asking for your trust on our way forward. We will clear this up.''
The crisis enveloping the world's top-selling carmaker escalated earlier Tuesday as the company issued a profit warning following a stunning admission that some 11 million of its diesel vehicles worldwide were fitted with software at the center of a U.S. emissions scandal.
Volkswagen, which also owns Audi and Porsche, admitted to installing the program that faked emission test results, making the cars seem greener than they are.
"Brands mostly get return business, like me. My dad had one, I wanted one, but now thinking about claiming things that are not true and charging me for it, that's wrong," said Jocelyn Prado, who owns a Volkswagen.
The United States is Volkswagen's smallest major market and very few diesel VW's are actually sold in South Florida, however, the scandal will still have an impact in the area because it damages the company's brand as a whole.
"Companies make mistakes, things happen, but when it appears to be deliberate and there's a gaming of the system, that's a big problem," Nick Castaldo said.
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Castaldo teaches marketing at Nova Southeastern University, and said this scandal will reverberate, especially among environmentally-conscious shoppers.
"All things being equal, when a younger person perceives a company is environmentally responsible and does green efforts, they'll pick that company. It's a hot-button issue," Castaldo explained.
VW's stock prices have tanked and the company will spend billions on the recall and in fines.
