US sales of VW, Audi halted amid scandal over falsified emissions data
Shares fall 20 per cent after accusations from US authorities that German carmaker used software in cars to falsify emissions data
German car giant Volkswagen is halting sales of four-cylinder VW and Audi brand diesel cars in the United States in the wake of a scandal over manipulated emissions data.
"I can confirm that sales have been halted," a company spokesman told AFP, responding to media reports. The models accounted for 23 per cent of VW brand cars in the US last month.
Between January and August, the group sold nearly 240,000 cars in the US.
VW's shares tumbled more than 20 per cent yesterday, their biggest ever one-day fall, after accusations from US authorities that it falsified emissions data.
The US Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday that Europe's biggest carmaker used software for diesel VW and Audi cars that deceived regulators measuring toxic emissions and could face up to US$18 billion in penalties.
According to the US authorities, VW equipped 482,000 cars in the US with software that turns off emissions controls when driving normally and turns them on only when the car is undergoing an emissions test.