Volkswagen's chief executive has said he is hopeful the German car maker can reach agreement by the end of the year with the US government on the size of a fine to settle a criminal investigation of the company's alleged violations of US clean air laws.
Matthias Mueller was speaking on the sidelines of the Paris auto show.
He said he also sees "good progress" toward a deal with US regulators that could allow VW to repair certain 3.0 litre diesel engines that emit more pollutants than US law allows.
Speculation that the US Justice Department will demand a hefty fine to settle a criminal investigation of the car maker's use of illegal software to deceive US environmental regulators sent Volkswagen shares into a tailspin earlier this week.
"We have been in a constructive dialogue with authorities in Germany, in Europe and the US for the past 12 months," Mueller said.
He added that he hopes to know the results of all the investigations "in the foreseeable future."
Reuters reported in August that Volkswagen and the US Justice Department have held preliminary settlement talks about resolving a criminal probe into the company's diesel emissions scandal, citing two sources briefed on the matter.
The talks have continued in recent weeks but it is not clear when a settlement will be reached.
Earlier this month, a Volkswagen engineer pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy in connection with the diesel emissions cheating case, and said he will cooperate with the Justice Department investigation.
VW in June agreed to pay up to $16.5 billion to resolve civil litigation related to the emissions cheating.
The company agreed to buy back vehicles if they could not be repaired as required by US and California regulators, and to fund projects such as expanded electric vehicle charging networks.
Mueller said he is concerned about the size of potential additional fines. "The settlement that we have reached with the civil authorities isn't cheap," he said.
"We have made provisions for everything that we believe we will have to face, including fines, environmental projects, compensation to the people. We will have to see if that's enough or not."
Volkswagen has set aside €17.8 billion to pay for costs related to the global emissions cheating scandal. The company faces civil litigation and potential fines from government regulators in the EU and other markets around the world.
Mueller said the company faces more than a financial toll. "We gambled away the trust people had in us and now we have to see how to get it back. That will definitely take longer than it took to lose it."
Mueller and Volkswagen global brand chief Herbert Diess said the company is not ready to abandon diesel technology, and could continue to offer diesel models for the US market.
"At some point there will be a tipping point, where electric mobility will gain the upper hand. I don't know when this will be. Maybe 2030 or 2035," Mueller said.
Volkswagen executives are using the Paris auto show to tout its future electric vehicles, aiming at US electric car maker Tesla Motors.
Mueller, however, objected to the comparison. "How many cars do they sell per year? How many? 50,000 per year," he said. "Do you know how many Volkswagen sells? 10 million! Why do we then talk of competition?"
Tesla has targeted sales for 2016 of 80,000 to 90,000 vehicles.
