Volkswagen Australia suspends sale of all 1.6- and 2.0-litre EA189 diesel vehicles

The suspension of sales comes after the Australian arm of the Volkswagen Group met with government authorities yesterday to discuss how the issue affects customers locally.

A statement from Volkswagen Group Australia released today reads:

"Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA) met with the relevant government authorities yesterday to advise them of its strategy in Australia to address concerns that have been raised around the world regarding the diesel emissions issue.

"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 suspension will remain until the emission issues are addressed in those vehicles.

"VGA will make further announcements next week."

If you have been living under a rock for the past couple of weeks, the 'DieselGate' saga came about after it was discovered that a suite of Euro-5 diesel engines produced by the Volkswagen Group (with codename EA189) features a segment of code within the vehicle's computer that allows it to cheat emissions testing.

The code can detect a test cycle being undertaken and then make adjustments to engine outputs to reduce emission levels.

The announcement by Volkswagen Australia comes after it was revealed that the defeat device code is fitted to almost 11 million Volkswagen Group vehicles worldwide, including vehicles from the Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and Seat brands.

CarAdvice will keep you posted as more information comes to hand.

Update 3pm 03/10/15 -
Volkswagen and Skoda Australia has confirmed the following vehicles temporarily suspended:

Diesel Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles:

Diesel Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles:

Diesel ŠKODA vehicles: