South Korea accuses Nissan of emissions cheat on Qashqai model

South Korea has accused car maker Nissan of fitting devices to its Qashqai diesel models to cheat emissions tests.

The government's environment ministry said it would hit the Japanese manufacturer with a £195,000 fine and force a recall of more than 800 vehicles. Nissan has denied the allegations.

“Nissan has not and does not employ illegal defeat or cheat devices in any of the cars that we make," it said in a statement.

Nissan last month blew the whistle on fellow auto maker Mitsubishi, which admitted it had overstated the fuel economy of at least four models it produces.

Ironically Nissan also last week spent $2.2bn taking de facto control of its rival with a 34% stake in Mitsubishi.

The auto industry has come under the spotlight since German manufacturer Volkswagen was caught falsifying emissions test results last year. The company has put aside €16bn to cover class action lawsuits from around the world.