BERLIN, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Headquarters of German carmaker Audi AG was searched by German state prosecutors on Tuesday due to its diesel emission scandal, marking the second raid since the beginning of the new year.
18 prosecutors were reported to have carried out the operation in Audi's headquarters in the city of Ingolstadt and its offices at the plant in Neckarsulm, a city located in southern German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, searching for evidence relating to the emission manipulation.
"Investigators are now looking into six-cylinder diesel engines," prosecutors in the Bavarian capital of Munich cited by German news agency dpa as saying, adding that 14 people are under investigation.
Prosecutors suspected that Audi has sold at least 210,000 diesel-engined cars equipped with cheating software in the United States and Europe since 2009. The software would be turned on to help cars go through lab tests, but it will be turned off when the cars are on the road.
An Audi press spokesperson admitted that there was a search, saying the company will cooperate with the investigators and provide needed data.
Last week, prosecutors searched homes of six Audi technicians and engineers, announcing to have seized documents.
