FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Volkswagen's flagship brand saw global auto sales fall 5.3 percent in October in the wake of a scandal over cars equipped with software that let them cheat on U.S. diesel emissions tests.

It appeared that economic downturns in Brazil and Russia caused as much or more damage than the scandal to the month's figures.

Figures released Friday showed sales in the U.S. — where the scandal first broke on Sept. 18 — were up 0.2 percent. Sales in North America including Canada rose 3.5 percent from the same month a year earlier.

Sales fell 26 percent in Russia and 50 percent in Brazil.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Volkswagen equipped 482,000 cars with software that turned off emissions controls and enhanced performance when the cars were not being tested.