There are days of hustle and bustle in the automotive industry after the outrageous diesel scandal that involved Volkswagen. Even the German Chancellor Angela Merkel took a stand and asked them to be completely transparent and to solve the issues as soon as possible. In this context, Daimler AG wants to make things clear.
Daimler denies ever rigging the emissions tests of their cars, after a non-governmental organization, Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) cast suspicion on the automotive industry, by claiming that Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Opel have cheated just like Volkswagen.
Daimler AG released a statement to say that their vehicles have always complied with the pollution regulations and to warn that they are evaluating the possibility of taking the allegations into the court of law.
- We categorically deny the accusation of manipulating emission tests regarding our vehicles. A defeat device, a function which illegitimately reduces emissions during testing, has never been and will never be used at Daimler. This holds true for both diesel and petrol engines. Our engines meet and adhere to every legal requirement.
- In light of the written request by the DUH, which was sent to us this morning with a deadline to respond by 3:00 pm (CET), and the seven questions they posed, we can confirm that none of the allegations apply to our vehicles. The technical programming of our engines adheres to all legal requirements.
- We have no knowledge of measurements that indicate our vehicles did not meet legally required standards.
- We actively support the work being done within Europe and Germany in order to develop new testing methods which measure emissions based on real driving conditions.
- We work closely and constructively with the responsible authorities in Germany, Europe and the United States and will willingly provide any vehicle for testing.
Volkswagen’s CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned soon after the scandal surfaced. Winterkorn took responsibility for the German carmaker’s rigging of the U.S. emissions tests, in what seems to be the biggest scandal in the company’s 78-year history.
