Volkswagen hit with recall of 1.8m vehicles in China

German carmaker Volkswagen has been hit with a major recall of 1.8m vehicles in China after an issue was detected with a faulty fuel pumps in several of its cars.

The Chinese consumer watchdog said there were problems with the pumps on its Magotan and CC models, which are produced in joint ventures in the country with FAW and SAIC.

Volkswagen were forced into a recall of around 680,000 Audi cars in China earlier this year after defects were found in some models’ cooling pumps.

The company reportedly become aware of the latest issue following an investigation by Chinese watchdogs which began last year.

The recall is the latest setback for the German firm, who were hit by a damaging emissions scandal in 2015 which has cost it an estimated $22bn.

While Volkswagen has already agreed to pay $1.6bn in settlement claims in the US in relation to the scandal, it still faces a plethora of legal challenges in Europe and other parts of the world.

The German company has been banned from producing diesel cars since the end of 2015.

Volkswagen is in the process of removing the illegitimate software that allowed it to cheat emissions tests, which it insists will inflict no loss of value on car owners in Europe. It is aiming to complete the repairs by the end of the year.