Aju Business Daily

SEOUL, Feb. 01 (Aju News) --  German carmaker Volkswagen on Thursday resumed sales of cars, which were suspended 18 months ago in South Korea, despite public criticism over its unethical emissions tests on monkeys and human volunteers.

Volkswagen has been embroiled in legal actions after it admitted in September 2015 to using cheating devices in U.S.emissions tests. The South's environment ministry banned sales of 32 Volkswagen models for obtaining government permission with fabricated documents, and the Fair Trade Commission imposed a record fine of 31.8 million US dollars in December 2016.

On Thursday, Volkswagen Korea launched the sale of "Passat GT", a new version of its best-selling midsize sedan model. The lowest trim comes with a price tag of 43 million won ($39,990) while the most expensive one is priced at 52 million won.

In South Korea, the German carmaker plans to resume sales of three models, including the Passat, the Tiguan sport utility vehicle and the Arteon sedan.

Some consumers showed a cold response, pointing out that the price is too high. "No one would by the car after the image of the company was shattered like that," "Black Flower", a user from South Korea's online community "Clien" wrote. Another user "Chateau" said, "It's too expensive. I would rather by BMW's 5 Series."