Volkswagen has been storing the diesel-powered vehicles it bought back from customers at 37 secure storage facilities that include a suburban Detroit football stadium, former Minnesota paper mill, and desert parking lot near Victorville, Calif., Reuters is reporting.

The automaker spent more than $7.4 billion to buy back about 350,000 vehicles through the middle of February.

The stored vehicles are being "routinely maintained in a manner to ensure their long-term operability and quality, so that they may be returned to commerce or exported once U.S. regulators approve appropriate emissions modifications," a company spokeswoman told Reuters.

Of the vehicles it bought back, Volkswagen has resold 13,000 and destroyed about 28,000 vehicles. The company will continue the buy-backs through June of 2019.