China agency urges Volkswagen to recall vehicles for gearbox defect

BEIJING (AFP) - China's consumer quality agency on Saturday urged German auto giant Volkswagen (VW) to recall vehicles with a gearbox defect that it said could lead to engine power failures.

It was not immediately clear how many vehicles or what models would be affected by the problems, which are related to the direct shift gearbox transmission, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said in a statement on its website.

The official Xinhua news agency quoted Mr Zhang Yuanping, a spokesman for the adminsistration, as saying AQSIQ would force Volkswagen to implement a recall if the company did not carry out what Xinhua called its "legal obligations".

The urging of a recall came as Europe's biggest carmaker said on Thursday it planned to open seven more factories in China.