Canberra, Sep 1 (IANS): Australian authorities on Thursday announced that they have sued German car manufacturer Volkswagen over its rigged diesel engines aimed at manipulating emissions data.

Australia Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Chairman Rod Sims said: "Volkswagen engaged in multiple breaches of the Australian Consumer Law by concealing software in their vehicles to cheat emissions testing and misleading consumers."

The lawsuit filed in a federal court accuses the German company of misleading consumers by claiming their vehicles complied with European and Australian standards in addition to all other local requirements, EFE news reported.

Volkswagen's conduct may have misled the public between 2011 and 2015 due to its false data on diesel emissions of its vehicles, according to ACCC.

On September 22, 2015, the German car maker admitted that some 11 million diesel cars worldwide were equipped with a device that can change pollution controls when it detects that the car is in testing phase.

Around 57,000 of these units, including the models Golf, Passat, Polo, and Amarok were sold in Australia between 2011 and 2015, according to the ACCC.