Volkswagen crisis: Swiss authorities 'ban sale of 180,000 vehicles' over emissions scandal

VW admitted last week it had cheated the emissions tests of cars in the US

Volkswagen is one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world (AFP)

Swiss authorities have banned the sale of almost 200,000 Volkswagen vehicles within the country in the latest blow to the beleaguered German car manufacturer.

It follows the company admitting last week it had cheated the emissions tests of vehicles in the US, leading to a free-fall in its share price and a crisis within the iconic brand.

The Swiss Federal Roads Agency said as many as 180,000 “euro 5” cars – not yet sold or registered – could be affected on Friday evening.

Authorities told Reuters they planned to withdraw approval of affected models, which as well as Volkswagen cars include Audi, Seat, and Skoda cars, until their status had been clarified.

However, current motorists will not be affected and cars with the new “euro 6” engines are also immune from the ban.

Swiss authorities have established a task force to fully investigate the issue. The British Government has also said it would examine the use of rigged data, possibly re-testing all diesel cars in Britain.

The decision in Switzerland comes after the appointment of Matthias Mueller, 62, as Volkswagen’s new boss.

Mr Mueller, who conceded the company faced “unprecedented challenges”, vowed to win back trust after VW admitted it fitted 11 million cars and vans with devices allowing them to detect emissions tests and change the engines’ performance to improve emissions results.