German car major, Volkswagen admitted to the rigging charges made on its diesel-powered vehicles in the United States, said the media reports.

Meanwhile, U.S. authorities have widened the probe to other automakers.

Earlier on Friday, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that Volkswagen, the world's biggest carmaker by sales, used software that deceived regulators measuring toxic emissions and could face penalties of up to USD 18 billion.

The U.S. Department of Justice started a criminal probe of the effort to game the emissions tests, according to press reports.