VDA: Not only does the diesel scandal destabilize automakers



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Berlin / Dieter Keller
04.07.2018

We lost a lot of trust and credibility, "says Bernhard Mattes, reluctantly. Since March 1, the former boss of Ford Germany is chairman of the German Association of Automotive Industry (VDA) as a successor to Matthias Wissmann. Since then, the diesel scandal has kept him busy – vehicle recalls on imminent diesel bans in downtown areas to CEO Audi Rupert Stadler, who is in custody

says Mattes in Berlin and has invoked the presumption of innocence. "We are working to gain new trust and strengthen our credibility." But he knows it takes time. Anything that is not legal is unacceptable.

The recording figures clearly show the consequences of the diesel scandal: although registrations in Germany rose by 3% in the first half to reach 1.84 million pbadenger cars at just under 4%. a third. At "normal times" every second new car had this record. "The protection of the climate does not bring anything", regrets Mattes on this development. For gasoline, which is sold more frequently, CO production is higher 2 . Modern diesel is needed to achieve climate protection goals in traffic.

"If we manage to avoid driving bans, uncertainty will give way," says VDA president. The goal is that few cities are affected. At least in Stuttgart, it will probably be inevitable. The badociation is in close contact with the country and the city to develop good plans.

Many worries

At present, the industry also has a lot of other concerns. The new emission test rules were announced by the EU on such a short notice that the manufacturers could not re-test all the engines before 1 September. As a result, they rented large parking lots to park the cars produced, such as Berlin Airport BER. For this reason, among other things, Daimler had to warn its shareholders that this year's earnings are below expectations.

Mattes considers the new exhaust emission limits provided by the European Commission from 2025 as an "extreme challenge". "We need achievable goals," he asked. Politics should not overwhelm companies, "otherwise the industrial base in Europe is threatened."

If anything, the goals can only be achieved with a high proportion of electric cars. Currently, it is only at 2 percent. With a joint effort of industry and politics, he estimates that by 2025, Europe will reach 15%. In Germany, he is in favor of extending the purchase price of electric cars from € 4,000 beyond 2019. This is also being discussed by politicians because only 66,000 applications have been submitted. Money is enough for over 300,000 electric cars. The SPD is also in favor of longer funding.

The VDA also worries about the increase in protectionism. With regard to President Donald Trump, he recalls that half of the 800,000 cars that German car manufacturers build in the United States are exported. The badociation does not want unilateral concessions in the United States, but EU agreements based on the World Trade Agreement (WTO). But it is also clear to him that if Trump unilaterally increases import duties for European cars, there must be a backlash, ie higher European tariffs. for American cars

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