Local owners of Volkswagen and Audi cars have been left in the dark as to which models were equipped with emissions cheating devices, whether affected models could be repaired by Volkswagen or what compensation they were entitled to if repair was not possible, a consumer group has said. 

In a statement, the Association for Consumer Rights expressed concern at the lack of information made public following last year's revelations that German car manufacturer the Volkswagen group had installed devices designed to cheat emissions tests on many of its cars models. 

"In September 2015, a year ago, The Transport Authority asked importers of VW for information. No update has been given in the media so far," the association said.

"In Malta, who is recalling the cars - VW or the Transport Authority? Do car owners know that the value of their cars is affected? What will happen if they want to sell their car? Who will buy their cars with their emissions transgressing EU rules? It may be too late then to have them repaired," the association said, adding that while the company had compensated owners in the USA, "VW did not treat Europeans in the same way." 

The Association for Consumer Rights is not the first organisation to raise concerns about the scandal. Last month, the Consumers Association insisted local owners of affected models should be compensated by VW, prompting the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority - the national authority tasked with assessing the VW emissions scandal locally - to issue a statement saying it was holding out for an EU-wide investigation into the scandal, although it did not rule out carrying out its own investigation. 

According to the association, local VW owners have received a letter asking them to return their vehicles for mechanics to carry out the necessary software updates. Owners of second-hand vehicles are being contacted by Transport Malta.

"A year has passed since the Malta Transport Authority has been chasing for information from VW importers," the association said. "What is actually being done, who will make sure repairs are being done properly? Who will enforce compensation if cars cannot be repaired?"