Volkswagen emissions scandal spreads to petrol cars

Volkswagen said it found faulty emissions readings for the first time in petrol-powered vehicles, widening a scandal that so far had centred on diesel engines.

Separately, the company’s Porsche unit said it is halting North American sales of a model criticised by US regulators.

Volkswagen said an internal probe showed 800,000 cars had “unexplained inconsistencies” concerning their carbon-dioxide output. Previously, the carmaker estimated it would need to recall 11m vehicles worldwide — more than Volkswagen sold last year.