The Volkswagen diesel scandal appears to be spreading further with a regulatory probe in Austria though details are scarce.
A spokeswoman for economic and corruption prosecutors told Reuters two companies and top executives were under investigation in Germany's neighbour for suspected serious fraud, environmental offences and financial crimes in relation to the automaker's emissions scandal.
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The spokeswoman for the WKStA prosecutors' office said investigations had been under way for several months and were likely to continue for years. But she would not name the companies or individuals involved.
The news came a day after European anti-fraud office OLAF said it had sent judicial recommendations concerning Volkswagen to German prosecutors.
According to Reuters, the office had been investigating whether the car maker used EU funds and European Investment Bank (EIB) loans to develop devices that cheated emission tests.
The heads of top German automakers were meeting on Wednesday, at an emergency summit in Berlin called by the government, to discuss the future of diesel, clouded by the Volkswagen scandal.
According to Bloomberg, Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW CEOs would meet ministers and state leaders to win political support to avoid driving bans in exchange for further upgrades to existing vehicles to lower their pollution.
