Giving evidence yesterday (12 October) to the Government’s Transport Select Committee at the House of Commons as part of the probe into the scandal, Paul Willis, UK managing director, said that of the 1.2m cars affected in the UK, around 400,000 – which use the 1.6-litre diesel – would need modification work including new fuel injectors alongside the software upgrade. He added that around 700,000 – covering 1.2 and 2.0-litre diesels – would just require the software fix.

Willis also confirmed that a solution that won't impact on fuel consumption is being worked on. He commented: "Our engineers are working to the brief that there cannot be any change in miles per gallon.”

With regards to any possible rise in CO2 emissions, Willis also said that VW could end up footing any possible tax bills.

He commented: "I'm not sure there's any clear evidence that the CO2 emissions on these cars are different in the real world. The British taxpayer should not be out of pocket and, if necessary, we will have a meeting with HMRC."

Mr Willis added: “Our obligation is to fix these cars, get them in as soon as possible and make sure we get the trust back from our customers.”

“We are determined to get to the bottom of this because we have to get to the bottom of this to regain the trust of our customers.”

Mr Willis also confirmed that the recall will begin in January 2016 and that drivers who may be inconvenienced by not having a vehicle as a result of the recall process would be given a loan car.