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The government announced in August that it would ban all 10
models after conducting an investigation into whether foreign
carmakers besides Volkswagen AG falsified documents on emissions
and noise-level tests.
Nine of the models have been banned since last month and
Nissan's Qashqai diesel sport utility vehicle has been banned
since June, the environment ministry said on Monday.
It said it has also fined the carmakers' local units a combined
7.17 billion won ($5.9 million) for the affected 4,523 vehicles
already sold in South Korea.
Spokespersons at the South Korean units of Nissan Motor Co Ltd
and BMW AG acknowledged the findings in the government
investigation, saying they would try to achieve certification
for those affected models again. A spokesperson at Porsche AG,
which is owned by Volkswagen, was not immediately available for
comment.
South Korea has been tough with Volkswagen, filing complaints
against local executives, suspending sales of most of its models
and imposing fines for alleged forging of documents on emissions
or noise-level tests.
In the latest move, South Korea said last month that it will
file criminal complaints against five former and current
executives at Volkswagen AG's South Korean unit and fine the
company a record 37.3 billion won for false advertising on
vehicle emissions.
South Korea's sales of imported cars fell 7 percent in the first
11 months of last year, heading for their first annual sales
decline since 2009.
(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Susan Fenton)
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