Oslo, Sep 30 (IANS): A total of 147,139 Volkswagen diesel vehicles in Norway have been affected in the scandal over the German automaker's device software for cheating on emissions tests, the Nordic country's Volkswagen importer said on Wednesday.

The affected vehicles include 77,580 Volkswagen cars, 27,649 Audi cars, 19,947 Skoda cars and 21,963 Volkswagen commercial vehicles, according to a statement by the importing company Harald A. Moller AS.

The vehicles are technically secure and can be used as usual, the company said, adding that Volkswagen was working on technical solutions to fix the problem, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We are very sorry for the situation that has arisen and will do everything in our power to implement necessary upgrades as efficiently as possible," Terje Male, managing director of Harald A. Moller AS, was quoted as saying.

"Volkswagen AG has assured us that customers are not inconvenienced and we, together with our dealers, will do everything we can to regain customers' trust," he said.

On September 18, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that Volkswagen had installed illegal software to falsify emission tests, allowing its diesel cars to produce up to 40 times more pollution than allowed.

The US government has ordered Volkswagen to recall 482,000 VW and Audi cars produced since 2009, placing Germany's leading auto manufacturer in the hot seat.

Norway's economic and environmental crimes unit Okokrim launched an investigation last week to determine whether Volkswagen had also used defeat device software for cheating on emissions tests in its diesel vehicles in the Nordic country.