Emissions-cheating probe spreads to Asia

The scandal engulfing Volkswagen AG, which has admitted cheating diesel vehicle emissions tests in the United States, spread east on Tuesday as South Korea said it would investigate three of the maker's diesel models.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel pressed auto giant Volkswagen on Tuesday to assure "full transparency" in a spiraling scandal over pollution test cheating.

Volkswagen shares plunged by 19 percent on Monday after the US Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday that the world's biggest carmaker by sales used software that deceived regulators measuring toxic emissions and could face penalties of up to $18 billion.