Volkswagen Scandal: Almost 1.2 Million U.K. Vehicles Affected

Almost 1.2 million Volkswagen vehicles in the U.K. are affected by the diesel emissions scandal, the company revealed today, as the fallout from the biggest scandal in the German carmaker's 78-year history continued.

Volkswagen said the models affected include 508,276 Volkswagen cars, 393,450 Audis, 76,773 Seats, 131,569 Skodas and 79,838 Volkswagen commercial vehicles. The total number of vehicles affected in the UK is 1,189,906, according to the BBC.

Volkswagen said it will contact customers within the next few days in order to have their cars refitted. The company has stressed that all the vehicles are safe and roadworthy.

Europe's largest carmaker admitted cheating in diesel emissions tests in the United States last week, after America's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that several diesel-engined Volkswagens and Audis included software that lowered emissions during tests. It meant that vehicles emitted up to 40 times more pollutants when being driven on the road.

Germany's transport minister revealed last week that Volkswagen also manipulated tests in Europe, where Volkswagen sells about 40 percent of its vehicles, although it is not yet known how many cars are affected on the continent. The company has said that it plans to refit all 11 million vehicles affected worldwide.