Local Volkswagen seller Continental Cars Ltd is due to roll out an online service this week through which customers may check whether their vehicle has been affected by the emissions scandal.

Volkswagen owners, including those who imported their vehicles from the UK, can do this by entering the chassis number on www.volkswagen.com.mt. A similar service for Audi and Seat customers will be rolled out on www.audi.com.mt and www.seat.com.mt respectively.

Last month the German car giant admitted that some 11 million diesel cars worldwide had been fitted with a software device which cheated emission tests.

VW owners can enter the chassis number on the site

To date Continental Cars has not divulged how many vehicles on the Maltese roads were fitted with this cheating device. The car importer said yesterday it planned to inform its own customers shortly whether their car had been fitted with a Type EA 189 diesel engine.

The company noted that customers could also call to check on freephone 8004 9189. It reiterated that customers would not incur any charges should technical modifications be needed. It also noted that all its new EU6 diesel-powered cars currently on sale were not affected by this scandal.

Apart from the aforementioned brands, Czech car manufacturer Skoda – part of the VW group – has also been hit by the scandal. In this case Maltese customers can perform an online test by entering the 17-figure vehicle identification number on the lower part of the windscreen on www.skoda-auto.com.