German authorities probe Volkswagen's Porsche for manipulation software

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany is investigating whether Volkswagen's sportscar brand Porsche used software to disguise exhaust emissions, the country's car industry regulator said on Thursday, in a fresh blow to VW's attempts to move on from a 15 month-old scandal.

Germany's Motor Transport Authority, KBA, said it was examining software that can measure the angle of a car's steering wheel.

At stake is whether Porsche used software to detect whether its cars were being subjected to laboratory tests, using this information to switch to a less polluting emissions pattern than would occur under normal driving conditions.

Porsche was not immediately available for comment.

VW admitted in September 2015 to using illegal "defeat device" software in the United States to disguise the true level of toxic emissions from diesel engines, sparking the biggest business crisis in its history.

It has agreed a multi-billion dollar settlement with U.S. authorities and is spending billions more to refit vehicles and speed up development of electric cars.

The KBA is already conducting a similar investigation into VW's Audi brand, which supplies engines to Porsche.

Germany's WirtschaftsWoche was first to report on Thursday that Porsche was being subjected to a probe.

(Reporting by Jan Schwartz and Edward Taylor; Editing by Mark Potter)