Volkswagen takes unsold Euro 5 vehicles off sale in the UK

This means there’s likely to be a big recall for those of you who drive diesel-powered cars with the VW brand, Audi, Seat and Skoda, and a few VW commercial vehicles.

The scandal will also reflect badly on Volkswagen and damage much of the trust it has created in its cars.

“In its first step, effective immediately VGA has temporarily suspended the sale of affected vehicles fitted with 1.6 or 2.0-litre EA189 diesel engines”.

The German automaker has been thrown into crisis after its admission that it used emissions-cheating software in over 11 million vehicles.

The company is working on a thorough refit plan to adjust affected diesel cars to expected emissions requirements.

Step by step, affected customers will be contacted, with details of a process to get their vehicles corrected in the near future.

The vehicles contain engines which may be fitted with software that was used to con emissions testers in the US. VW added that technical solutions will be submitted to the responsible authorities in October, with the company emphasising that affected vehicles are still technically safe and roadworthy.

The vehicles affected are those with EA 189 engines, that were required to meet the EU5 (Euro 5) standards that came in after September 2010.

VW dealers are neither employed by Volkswagen nor legally liable for the auto manufacturer’s policies, but they stand to lose a great deal because of the illegal software.

The firm notes that all petrol models, along with the V6 TDI and V8 TDI models are unaffected. “We can’t just shrug our shoulders and say, ‘yes, yes, but don’t do it again, ‘” he said Wednesday.

It is. chief executive Marton Winterkorn has resigned from his position and Volkswagen shares plummeted when the news broke, amid fears it could face billions of dollars of fines and repayments.

Cars with the affected diesel engines are being pulled from markets including Spain, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium, while prosecutors in Sweden consider opening an investigation on potential corruption.