Speaking after the meeting, Mr Pötsch said: "I am grateful to the Supervisory Board for the trust expressed by my election as chairman. I will do my utmost to uncover the full truth of what happened. I am firmly resolved to make my contribution so that Volkswagen can win back the trust of customers, the public, investors and business partners. And I believe my central task is to play my part in guiding Volkswagen towards a successful future." 

However, he said that it would take time to sort out the scandal. “Nobody is served by speculation or vague, preliminary progress reports," Mr Pötsch told a news conference. "Therefore it will take some time until we have factual and reliable results and can provide you with comprehensive information."

His appointment comes as newly appointed chief executive Matthias Müller said the carmaker should be able to begin recalling affected vehicles in January, with repairs set to be completed by the end of next year. 

Mr Müller told Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Wednesday that most of the 11m vehicles affected would only need software updated but that others would require new hardware. He added that the technical fix would vary according to the model, transmission as well as country-specific factors. This means that VW requires “not just three solutions, but rather thousands”.