LOS ANGELES -- Volkswagen America CEO Michael Horn on Wednesday made a public apology over its emissions scandal, but said that full compensation will take time.

“We will take the responsibility, but it will take time,” Horn said at the Volkswagen’s press briefing for the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show, explaining that the company is still in talks with the U.S. environment authorities about the case.

He said that the first step into the remedies has been taken, successfully. “Starting Nov. 9, we have been providing our 2.0-liter TDI engine customers with a $500 prepaid visa loyalty card, a $500 Volkswagen dealership card and a no-charge VW service card for three years,” he said.

“As of today morning around 120,000 people have registered so far, which accounts for 25 percent of the target,” Hone said as explaining that the measures were to collect all customers’ addresses.

Horn also said that Volkswagen has frozen the price of the new Passat -- though several features worth well over $1,315 have been improved -- and adopted various price reduction for its e-Golf.

This is the first time the Volkswagen Group America CEO showed up at a U.S. motor show to explain about the company’s stance on recent misdemeanor.

The German carmaker has been struggling to contain the public backlash after the U.S. government caught Volkswagen management has used stealthy program to manipulate the emissions test results for some of its diesel models, and later, gasoline models.

The spawning scandal has triggered, as of Nov. 11, 1,536 Korean customers of Volkswagen and its sister brand Audi to file a collective lawsuit with a Seoul court against Volkswagen and its local units.

By Bae Ji-sook, Korea Herald correspondent (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)