SYDNEY: Volkswagen said Wednesday that more than 91,000 of its vehicles in Australia are fitted with emissions-cheating technology, more than two weeks after the global scandal broke.
The German auto giant said on September 22 that as many as 11 million diesel cars worldwide were equipped with devices which could skew emissions data to cheat tests.
Volkswagen Group Australia said Wednesday that 54,745 cars, 17,256 commercial vehicles and 5,148 Skoda vehicles were affected in Australia.
Its top-of-the-range Audi subsidiary said 14,028 of its vehicles sold between 2008 and 2015 were also fitted with the devices, bringing the total to 91,177 vehicles in Australia.
"Volkswagen Group Australia takes this issue extremely seriously and is continuing to gather all the facts from our head office to support any rectification plans in Australia," said managing director John White.
The scandal erupted when it was revealed that Volkswagen diesel vehicles sold worldwide have been fitted with devices that can switch on pollution controls when they detect the car is undergoing testing.
They then switch off the controls when the car is on the road, allowing it to spew out more harmful levels of emissions.
The sale of some Volkswagen and Audi cars was suspended in Australia at the weekend after the firms met government officials demanding clarification on how many vehicles were affected.
Australia's consumer watchdog has warned Volkswagen could be fined up to Aus$1.1 million (US$780,000) for each pollution-cheating device installed and in use in the country.
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