BERLIN — German prosecutors on Wednesday charged Rupert Stadler, former chief executive of the Audi luxury car division of Volkswagen, with fraud for the company’s role in a diesel emissions cheating scandal.

Mr. Stadler and three others who were not named were accused of developing illegal emissions software used in cars sold under the Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche brands as part of a wider effort to cheat diesel emissions tests, Munich prosecutors said in a statement.

The charges were the latest in Germany’s efforts to investigate and prosecute the architects of the scandal that has rocked the country’s automobile industry and laid bare the extent to which the companies tried to make diesel appear to be an environmentally friendly fuel option. The state court in Munich will now decide whether to bring the charges to trial.

The four were also charged with falsifying certificates and illegal advertising. The charges related to hundreds of thousands of Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles with engines that were rigged to limit emissions while in a test environment, but allow higher levels when on the road. The vehicles were produced between 2009 and 2015 and were sold in Germany and the United States.