Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Boies Schiller & Flexner are among the US firms vying to advise Volkswagen shareholders and rival carmakers in Europe as they mull legal action against the German car manufacturer.

Volkswagen is facing the prospect of numerous legal claims after it emerged last month that it had been cheating emission tests by using software that made its cars appear less polluting than they are.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found out that 482,000 Volkswagen diesel cars on American roads were emitting up to 40 times more toxic fumes than permitted and the company has since admitted that 11 million cars worldwide are affected.