European Commission concludes German manufacturers have agreed illegally on emissions technology | News

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German automakers Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW have illegally agreed to impede competition in the field of clean-up technology, the European Commission said on Friday.

The first results of a survey conducted by EU antitrust regulators came nearly two years after the authorities carried out searches at their headquarters.

What the Commission found:

From 2006 to 2014, the three German car manufacturers conspired to limit the development and deployment of emission control technology for passenger cars sold in Europe.
The interviews aimed to restrict competition and "constituted a violation of EU antitrust rules".
Two types of technology, in particular, have been limited: one to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel cars and the other to reduce harmful particles from gasoline-powered cars.
Companies "have denied consumers the opportunity to buy less polluting cars" despite available technology.

Read more: Why divert the Germans from cars is difficult

Collusion 'not to improve their products & # 39;

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the European competition authorities were concerned that VW, BMW and Daimler were deliberately restricting their customers' access to the best technologies.

"Companies can cooperate in different ways to improve the quality of their products, but the EU's competition rules do not allow them to understand exactly the opposite: not to improve their products, nor to compete on quality, "said Vestager in a statement.

BMW has announced that it will set aside more than a billion euros ($ 1.13 billion). The German manufacturer said that he had deduced that "the European Commission is very likely to impose a fine of a significant amount".

VW said it would consider the allegations, but said that "the cooperation between automakers on technical issues in the automotive sector is common in the world".

At the same time, Daimler said that he "cooperated at an early and comprehensive stage with the European Commission as the main witness and that he therefore does not expect a fine in this case".

Read more: How Volkswagen wants to drive the revolution of e-mobility

German giants of the car in hot water: Friday 's preliminary findings were the latest scandal that swept the German auto industry. VW, in particular, was hit hard by the 2015 "Dieselgate" emissions fraud scandal, in which the company admitted to having equipped an anti-pollution system with 11 million vehicles worldwide. BMW, Daimler and VW were also heavily criticized in 2018 for funding tests on animals exposing monkeys to toxic diesel fumes.

What happens next: The Commission stated that it informed the companies of its initial findings and sent a "Statement of Objections". German builders will now have a chance to respond. Antitrust regulators pointed out that the investigation was not yet complete. If VW, BMW and Daimler are found guilty of antitrust violations, the Commission may however impose a fine of up to 10% of each company's annual global turnover.

Read more: The EU strikes automakers of a fine of 368 million euros for setting prices

Stuttgart abandons diesel while German cities are racing

Car city Stuttgart, headquarters of powerful car manufacturers Porsche and Daimler

From 1 April, it will be illegal to drive diesel vehicles manufactured before the Euro 5 standard is developed in 2009 in Stuttgart. This after an environmentalist group resorted to the courts to force the city to act. But "yellow vest" -type demonstrations pushed back with class and economic arguments for three months. The city will decide whether to ban Euro 5 diesel engines after the mid-2019 emissions tests.

Stuttgart abandons diesel while German cities are racing

Hamburg – in front

Hamburg became the first German city to introduce partial bans in June 2018, with two-thirds of its 300,000 diesels forced to leave two of its main roads. The city is one of the 80 German cities where nitrogen oxide levels often exceed the European threshold of 40 micrograms per cubic meter. In February 2018, the highest federal court allowed state courts to impose bans to improve air quality.

Stuttgart abandons diesel while German cities are racing

Munich – Germany resists

Munich has relatively low pollution levels, but was defeated by German environmentalists in 2017. She refused to enforce the bans. After Dieselgate, the EU acted against Germany's lax controls, but a large part of the country is still resisting. Last year, Chancellor Angela Merkel asked the European Union to allow a buffer of 10 micrograms in cities and promised to put in place laws protecting older diesel owners.

Stuttgart abandons diesel while German cities are racing

Cologne, Düsseldorf and Bonn – dodge the diesel

Cologne, where the air was the dirtiest of NRW, has been seen serving a court order last year, but has appealed. The city has found ways to clean up its atmosphere with low-emission buses, detours for trucks, traffic lights and cycling infrastructure. In the vicinity of Düsseldorf, 60 such measures have been put in place to avoid bans, while Bonn has appealed an order to come into effect in April.

Stuttgart abandons diesel while German cities are racing

Berlin is taking buses

Berlin has until July to set up a program to fight against air pollution, but so far, 11 major road projects will be closed to diesel up to Euro 5. More than 100 roads will be limited at 30 km / h (18 mph). The city will also offer 200 new diesel – powered double – decker buses – as part of a larger investment in new public transport to combat air pollution.