LAS VEGAS—Volkswagen AG’s management extended an olive branch to car dealers hit hard by the German auto giant’s emissions-testing scandal. Much of what dealers wanted to hear, however, went unsaid.

Herbert Diess, head of the Volkswagen passenger-car brand, met with hundreds of dealers for 90 minutes at an annual conference in Las Vegas last Saturday.

The crux of his message: Volkswagen aims to be a mass-market player in the U.S. market, willing to chase volume at the expense of exclusivity.

The executive vowed to “redefine” the company’s tarnished image and “relaunch” the Volkswagen brand.

Volkswagen will fast-track much-needed products, Mr. Diess said, so dealers can begin recovering from a punishing sales slump endured over the past six months.