Volkswagen admits 11 mn vehicles fitted with fumes suppression software

UK transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin yesterday called for an urgent investigation by the EC after Volkswagen admitted that 11 million vehicles worldwide could have been fitted with software that misled regulators.

The software enables switching on of fume-supression technology during testing, which allows cars to pass stringent environmental checks, while letting the vehicle spew out dangerous levels of nitrogen oxides on the road.

Millions of cars in the UK face being recalled if the scandal was as wide-reaching as feared, and car owners could see performance drop dramatically if manufacturers were forced to install new technology to cut fumes.

Yesterday the French finance minister had called for a "Europe-wide" probe even as Germany, South Korea and Italy all launched independent inquiries. German chancellor Angela Merkel called for 'full transparency' from Volkswagen as it was revealed that the transport ministry investigators were sending a fact-finding committee to factories this week.

Volkswagen lost nearly €30 billion off its market value after it admitted 11 million vehicles worldwide were affected.

Volkswagen chief Martin Winterkorn said he was "endlessly sorry" over the scandal, which led to questions over his future.

Air quality campaigners had called for the launch of an inquiry by the government into whether cars on UK roads also broke the rules, but the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) insisted that cars sold in the UK "must comply with strict European laws".

Volkswagen now faced the cost of recalling millions of vehicles as well as a fine of up to $18bn (£11.6bn) in the US.

Authorities across the world had launched additional probes and transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin had written to the EC calling for further investigation.

He wrote, "Like the UK, I am sure the commission is keen to reassure drivers and use this moment to demonstrate that the European engine testing regime is robust.

"I am writing to seek your assurances that the European Commission will investigate this matter thoroughly and take appropriate action to avoid a reoccurrence."