Volkwagen said on Tuesday it had understated the level of carbon dioxide emissions in some 800,000 cars. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The transport watchdog is still waiting for verification from the EU on the latest reports that more Volkswagen models could have the built-in software which misleads testers and alters emissions results.

The world’s largest car manufacturer said on Tuesday it had understated the level of carbon dioxide emissions in some 800,000 cars, sold mainly in Europe, making them more expensive to drive than initially thought.

In September, US investigators discovered that Volkswagen cars with diesel engines came with a software that would detect when a vehicle is being tested for emissions and alter the results to meet standards.

At the time, the German car manufacturer admitted that about 11 million vehicles worldwide could have had the software installed.

A Transport Malta spokesman said the reports would need to be confirmed by the relevant EU authorities before information on how this would be tackled locally could be issued.

“We are also following developments at a European level through the European Commission, the competent authority of the Federal Republic of Germany (KBA) and other member states to fully establish the extent of the problem and its implications.”

The watchdog will ensure that the necessary measures,including any recall actions,are fully implemented

The watchdog, he said, would be ensuring that once all relevant information was at hand, the necessary measures, including any recall actions, would be fully implemented.

The German government said on Wednesday it would be retesting all Volkswagen car models to record their true emissions levels.

Contacted by this newspaper for its reaction on the latest developments, an employee of Continental Cars, the local importer of Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche, said there was nobody available at the time to give comments.

Additional reporting by Reuters