Volkswagen has suspended the sale of some diesel cars in Australia while it addresses its emissions-cheating scam.

Following a meeting with government authorities, the company has decided to immediately halt the sale of affected vehicles fitted with 1.6 or 2.0-litre EA189 diesel engines.

“The suspension will remain until the emission issues are addressed in those vehicles,” it said in a statement on Saturday.

Audi also announced it was suspending the sale of vehicles fitted with the 2.0-litre EA189 diesel engine, certified according to the European emission standard EU5.



It relates to the Audi A4, A5 and Q5, with a 2.0 TDI engine.



Existing customers will be contacted in coming weeks and months with information about how their cars will be retrofitted.



The 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre TDI engines certified according to the new EU6 emissions standard aren’t affected, it said in a statement.



It is estimated there are more than 40,000 vehicles already on the road in Australia that have been fitted with the diesel engines at the centre of the emissions scandal.

Worldwide, 11m Volkswagen diesel cars and 2.1m Audis have been identified as carrying the emissions control-manipulating software in their engines.

The scam has left one of the world’s largest carmakers facing fines of $US18bn for breaching environmental standards in the United States, and numerous customer lawsuits.

On Wednesday, the car giant announced its intention to fix the problem, including recalling and refitting 5m affected vehicles worldwide.