The recall covers 77,149 Volkswagens sold between 2008 and 2015, and 14,028 Audis all featuring the EA 189 diesel engines at the centre of the scandal. In total, 11m vehicles are to be recalled worldwide.

“I want to assure all customers that the affected cars are technically safe and the necessary measures will be undertaken at no cost to them,” Volkswagen Australia's managing director John White said.

“We will do everything we can to fix this problem and regain the trust of our customers.”

Further technical details have not been released but earlier this week Volkswagen told a German newspaper that it expects to start recalls in January and finish them by the end of 2016.

Customers wishing to know if their vehicles are affected can check the VW and Audi sites.