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Swiss halt VW sales over rigged emissions

Switzerland has banned sales of Volkswagen Group car models which may have been outfitted with devices designed to tricking emission tests.

The ban - announced on Friday (Sept 25) - is on all cars with diesel engines in the Euro 5 emissions category, including VW, Seat, Skoda and other brands in the VW group.

180 000 vehicles

Thomas Rohrbach, spokesman for the Swiss federal office of roadways, said the move could potentially affect 180 000 vehicles that have 1.2-litre, 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre diesel engines.

But the ban does not include the cars that are already in circulation.

Matthias Mueller, who was appointed as CEO of the embattled German car maker on Friday to deal with the emissions scandal, pledged to do everything to win back the trust of the public.

"We stand by our responsibility," he said.


Read - Emissions scandal: Now SA affected?


According to the US authorities, VW has admitted that it equipped about 482 000 cars in the United States with sophisticated software that covertly turns off pollution controls when the car is being driven.

It turns them on only when it detects that the vehicle is undergoing an emissions test.

With the so-called "defeat device" deactivated, the car can spew pollutant gases into the air, including nitrogen oxide, in amounts as much as 40 times higher than emissions standards, said the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The EPA is conducting an investigation that could lead to fines amounting to a maximum of more than $18bn.

VW said the scandal involved 11 million vehicles worldwide. 

The Volkswagen Group includes 12 brands, and the company has yet to detail fully what cars where were involved. 

A Volkswagen statement on Friday said some diesel models and model years - such as the sixth-generation Golf, seventh-generation Passat and first-generation Tiguan - are equipped exclusively with the EA 189 engines in which it says there are "discrepancies".

Volkswagen brand chief, Herbert Diess, said "we are working at full speed on a technical solution that we will present to partners, to our customers and to the public as swiftly as possible".

More on VW emissions scandal:

Emissions scandal: Now SA affected?
VW turns to Porsche boss to steer it out of crisis
Emissions scandal: How VW's 'defeat device' works
Emissions scandal: BMW implicated?
VW to start firings over emissions scandal
VW CEO resigns: 'Stunned by misconduct
NOx gasses in diesel cars: Why are they so dangerous?
#Dieselgate: Internet reacts to VW scandal
Not just VW: 5 major car industry scandals
Emissions scandal: Porsche head to replace VW chief?
VW chief on emissions scandal: 'We screwed up'
Seoul summons VW over emissions scandal
VW emissions scandal: What does it mean for SA?
Huge VW, Audi recall: Diesel car sales stopped
UPDATE: Huge VW, Audi recall: Billions in finesBerlin: New emission checks from German automakers

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