Switzerland halts sale of Volkswagen models

Switzerland has temporarily banned the sale of Volkswagen diesel-engine models that could have devices capable of tricking emission tests.

The move – which could affect 180,000 cars that are not yet sold or registered – comes after VW admitted cheating on emissions tests in the US.

In a statement on Friday, the Swiss Federal Police said that VW vehicles that have 1.2 litre, 1.6 litre and 2.0 litre diesel engines of VW models – including VW’s Audi, Seat and Skoda brands – could be affected.

The ban does not apply to vehicles that are already in circulation or to cars with Euro6 emission category engines. The Swiss authorities have also set up a taskforce to fully investigate the problem.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has revealed that some VW cars being sold in the US had devices in diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested, hence changing the engine performance to improve results.

Volkwsagen, the biggest carmaker in the world, later admitted that around 11 million cars worldwide, 2.8 million of them in Germany, are fitted with the so-called “defeat device” and that further costly recalls and refits are possible.

VW’s shares plummeted around 30% in the days after the scandal broke, and chief executive Martin Winterkorn resigned on Wednesday. He has since been replaced Matthias Mueller, who was previously CEO of VW’s Porsche subsidiary.

Following his appointment, Mueller said that his top priority was to restore the company’s reputation.

“My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leading no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation.”

He also announced sweeping changes to the way the company was run, including by handing greater autonomy to regional divisions and by tightening up its safety procedures.

“At no point was the safety of our customers in dangers, and we will now have even stricter compliance,” he said. “Our objective is that the people continue to use and drive our vehicles with confidence and pleasure. That’s 80 million people driving our cars worldwide.”