Latest Skoda Octavia hit with Golf's software bug

Skoda has followed the lead taken by Volkswagen with its new Mk8 Golf by halting European deliveries of its fourth-generation Octavia after the same software issues were unearthed in its closely-related new hatch.

What's now becoming an increasingly serious drama for the Volkswagen Group as it recovers from COVID-19 shutdowns, new reports also suggest that both the new Audi A3 and SEAT Leon are also affected.

Currently the subject of an internal investigation, the technical fault is said to relate to the car’s ability to make emergency calls – a feature mandated by strict EU legislation since 2018.

It's too soon, reports suggest, to fully understand how many cars are affected but the halting of European deliveries for four of the Volkswagen Group's best-selling vehicles is set to have serious consequences.

Faulty software had already delayed the roll-out of the Mk8 Golf and is reportedly affecting the development of the upcoming pure-electric ID.3, so the latest technical failure will have serious repercussions and potentially create a delivery bottleneck for the brand and long waiting lists for some models.

Volkswagen has already announced that a fix is on the way as part of a new software update, but said that won't be ready until the middle of June at the earliest.

With production expected to continue at all four plants the vehicles are made in, it's thought the Volkswagen brands will now face logistical problems with storing thousands of cars it cannot ship.

Also unknown is what will happen with European customers who have already taken delivery of their cars. It's thought Volkswagen will either trigger a recall or issue over-the-air updates to fix the problem – a new feature first introduced with the Mk8 Golf.

The new Volkswagen Golf is now not expected on sale in Australia  until early 2021 -- around the same time as the new Octavia.