For those driving by the Pontiac Silverdome and wondering why the parking lot is packed like it's 1993 and the Green Bay Packers are in town:

Those are vehicles Volkswagen bought back in its $15.3 billion settlement with consumers, regulators and U.S. states as a result of the automaker's emissions scandal.

A spokesperson for the company declined comment on the number of vehicles at the Silverdome, or on locations of other storage locations.

Once a buyback is complete, Volkswagen transports the vehicle from the dealership to one of its regional storage facilities like the Silverdome.

Once in storage, VW said it will regularly maintain the vehicles until an "approved emissions modification" takes place. The German automaker reports that vehicles not approved for emissions modification will be recycled.

"Overall, we are encouraged by the customer response to the 2.0L TDI settlement program and the exceptional participation rate so far," the VW spokesperson said in an email. "As of January 14th, Volkswagen had extended more than 266,000 offers to affected customers and by the end of January, we expect to have processed approximately 96,000 buybacks and lease terminations.

"This program is unprecedented in terms of its size and scope and we have hired approximately 1,300, contract employees to help accommodate demand."

The Pontiac Silverdome currently sits in ruins. The 82,000 seat dome opened in 1975 and became the home of the Detroit Lions. The Silverdome closed in 2006 and re-opened for a few years in 2010.

Jalopnik reports VW has regional storage facilities at the decommissioned Norton Air Force Base in California, the Port of Baltimore and the Silverdome in Pontiac.

In April 2016, VW agreed to give customers of more than half a million cars found to cheat on diesel emissions a chance to have the vehicles bought back or be fixed.

The agreement also includes funds set aside to combat excess pollution, and required money committed to promoting green automotive technology.

VW has admitted to using software, known as a defeat device, in the 2009-2015 Audi A3 and the Volkswagen Beetle, Golf, Jetta and Passat TDI cars with 2.0-liter diesel engines to trick emissions tests. About 482,000 were sold in the U.S., and 11 million were sold globally.

The VW cars with 2-liter diesels would meet emissions standards tests in a laboratory or testing station, but in normal operation, they emit nitrogen oxides at up to 40 times the standard, according to the EPA.The company also admitted to using the software in some of its vehicles with 3.0-liter diesel engines.

Six current and former executives, five who currently live in Germany, have also been criminally charged in Detroit federal court for crimes that allegedly occurred between 2006 and 2015 stemming from the emission scandal.

In addition, Volkswagen agreed to plead guilty to three felonies and pay $2.8 billion in criminal penalties and $1.5 billion in civil claims.