Merkel Aide Says Germany Has ‘Vital Interest’ in Diesel Survival

by Dramelin 3:30 AM 0 comments

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff said Germany has a “vital interest” in ensuring diesel engines survive, defending the embattled technology as the industry comes under fire for cheating on emissions tests.
Excessive pollution from diesel, as well as traditionally close ties between the government and auto industry, have emerged as a campaign issue in the run up to the country’s federal election in September.
Merkel has been confronted by voters on the campaign trail, who accused the government of being too lenient on automakers, prompting the chancellor to question high bonuses for auto executives embroiled in Volkswagen AG’s cheating scandal.
“We have a vital interest in preserving diesel as a technology because it emits far less CO2 than other technologies,” Peter Altmaier, Merkel’s chief of staff, said in a Bloomberg TV interview in Berlin.
“At the same time we have to make sure that all the rules are respected and all the regulations are fully implemented.
” Car bosses and government officials reached a compromise deal earlier this month to lower pollution that calls for software updates on million of vehicles instead of more costly hardware fixes.
Volkswagen, Daimler AG and BMW AG also agreed to a trade-in bonus for cars with outdated emissions controls.
The measures have been criticized as a slap on the wrist for Germany’s biggest industry.
“We have the responsibility to fight for a good deal but also to preserve the strength and the performance of the automobile industry,” Altmaier said in the interview late on Tuesday.
“I’m very optimistic that we will overcome this.
” The German environment ministry, which argues that this month’s deal should have gone further, will publish a study later on Wednesday about how effective the agreed measures will be on bringing down smog-inducing levels of nitrogen oxide.
Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks -- a member of the Social Democrats, Merkel’s current coalition partner -- said at the Aug.
2 meeting that much more expensive hardware fixes remained a possibility if agreed measures proved ineffective.
  Merkel, who has so far largely steered clear of the debate, is hosting a meeting on Sept.
4 with representatives of the major cities, including the hometowns of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, struggling to lower their pollution levels.
A number of cities and courts continue to evaluate potential diesel driving bans as the most effective means to meet regulation quickly.
Diesel, once the symbol of German auto-engineering prowess, first came under attack nearly two years ago, following Volkswagen’s admission that it duped regulators and consumers with diesels rigged to cheat on emissions tests.
While the technology offers more power and emits about 15 percent less carbon dioxide than equivalent gasoline engines, that comes at the expense of higher emissions of nitrogen oxide.
— With assistance by Brian Parkin.