From San Francisco today comes the next step in what will surely be a very long unwinding of the Volkswagen emissions-rigging scandal.

A federal judge has approved the outlines of a deal in which the automaker will either buy back or offer to repair nearly half a million VW’s the company doctored to pass emissions tests.

Dan Neil, who writes about cars and everything automotive for the Wall Street Journal, spoke with Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal.