German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said today that emissions manipulations by Volkswagen took place in Europe, not just in the United States.

"We have been informed that also in Europe, vehicles with 1.6 and 2.0 liter diesel engines are affected by the manipulations that are being talked about," Dobrindt told reporters, adding it was unclear how many vehicles in Europe were affected.

He also said random tests would be conducted on cars made by manufacturers other than VW.

"It is clear that the Federal Office for Motor Traffic will not exclusively concentrate on the VW models in question but that it will also carry out random tests on vehicles made by other carmakers," he said.

The company said on Tuesday 11 million of its cars globally were fitted with engines that had shown a "noticeable deviation" in emission levels between testing and road use.

Regulators in Europe and Asia have said they will also investigate, while Volkswagen faces criminal inquiries and lawsuits from cheated customers.

The European Commission is calling on all member states to carry out investigations.

"We are inviting all member states to carry out an investigation," Commission spokeswoman Lucia Caudet told reporters.

The Commission has proposed new legislation to tighten up its vehicle testing regime, which it says is the responsibility of member states to enforce.

It is also looking at whether the European Union's system of type approval, when new models are put on to the market, should be changed.