The involvement of German carmaker Audi in diesel scandal surrounding illegally manipulated exhaust levels has apparently been more extensive than previously known, German media reported on Monday.

The German public broadcaster BR and the business newspaper Handelsblatt reported that Audi had used four and not one so-called defeat devices in order to comply with the exhaust emission standards until the beginning of 2018.

Until now, the responsible German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has only declared the engine warm-up function as inadmissible. After the engine has been started, such a warm-up function is increasing the exhaust gas purification for a limited time.

Although the German authorities found that three other defeat devices had been used by Audi to keep exhaust emissions artificially low during test phases, the German carmaker was allowed to "voluntarily" remove these defeat devices from the engine software, BR and Handelsblatt cited from non-public decrees by the KBA.

In addition, the German transport authority did not test a majority of the car models itself, but relied on information provided by carmaker Audi. "The KBA did not carry out its own technical tests. The decision will be made on the basis of files," according to the KBA decrees.

A total of 200,000 diesel cars sold in Germany would be affected by the defeat devices, including models from Audi's parent company Volkswagen as well as its sports car subsidiary Porsche.

The KBA did not answer on the allegations by the German media. The German ministry of transport, to which the KBA is subordinated, only stated that "in general, the diesel issue has been intensively investigated and elaborated since fall 2015".

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