New Delhi, Oct. 7: German auto major Volkswagen today asked its dealers in India to temporarily stop selling its premium hatchback Polo, citing a technical issue.

The company said the move was not related to the emission scandal that has hit the company in the US and Europe.

Domestic sales of Volkswagen India in September dipped for the first time after seven months of consistent growth, indicating an impact of the global emission fudging crisis that started on September 18.

Volkswagen India's wholesale dispatches to dealers have declined 21 per cent in September. The company sells the Polo, Jetta and Vento here.

"Volkswagen India has confirmed a temporary hold on deliveries of the Polo because of a technical reason which is currently under evaluation," a spokesperson for Volkswagen Passenger Cars India said. This affects the delivery of a limited number of cars in a specific production period, it added.

On whether the matter is related to the emission scandal, the spokesperson said: "Volkswagen would like to clarify that the temporary hold on deliveries is not related to the ongoing EA 189 diesel engine topic."

Volkswagen is in the process of recalling 11 million vehicles, mostly with EA 189 engine and emission-test defeating software. The company has admitted to installing such a software in large numbers in its major markets such as the US and Europe. It is not established yet if it has resorted to such a practice in the country.

The Indian government has directed its agency Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) to investigate and test vehicles sold by the company in India.

Meanwhile, Ford India today launched a version of the EcoSport. "Ahead of the festive season, we have made our clever, compact SUV even more stylish," said Nigel Harris, president and managing director, Ford India.