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Volkswagen has admitted to American regulators that 2016 diesel model-year vehicles have been fitted with suspect software that could help the vehicles cheat US emissions tests.
VW confirmed to the Associated Press that the "auxiliary emissions control device" operates differently from the now-infamous defeat device, which was fitted to 11m vehicles powered by the firm's EA189 Euro 5 diesel engine.
A Volkswagen UK spokeswoman told BusinessCar the company didn't believe the software is fitted 2015/16 vehicles in Europe.
According to the AP, the software was revealed to America's Environment Protection Agency on 29 September, prompting VW to withdraw type-approval applications to sell 2016 model-year vehicles in the US.
The AP said the software makes a pollution-control catalyst heat up faster, improving performance of a device that turns NOx into nitrogen and oxygen gasses.
"This has the function of a warm-up strategy which is subject to approval by the agencies," a Volkswagen spokeswoman told the AP. "The agencies are currently evaluating this and Volkswagen is submitting additional information."
"We have a long list of questions about this," Janet McCabe, acting assistant EPA administrator for air quality said "We're getting some answers from them, but we do not have all the answers yet."
The development means that thousands of 2016 Beetles, Golfs and Jettas will be in quarantine at American ports until a fix can be developed, approved and implemented by the vehicle giant.
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