Brussels sees signs that BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen agreed not to reduce polluting emissions

Brussels sees signs that BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen agreed not to reduce polluting emissions

The European Commission investigates whether the three companies reached agreements to prevent the development of less aggressive technologies with the Environment

   Three automotive companies would have reached private agreements to curb the development of technologies aimed at reducing the polluting emissions of diesel and gasoline vehicles. That is the object of the "in-depth" investigation opened by the European Commission with the focus on BMW, Daimler (of which the Mercedes-Benz brand is a part) and Volkswagen.

Brussels believes that the three German manufacturers have maintained a series of contacts and meetings with the aim of not moving towards the deployment of new systems less harmful to the environment. If it is proven that this pact of illicit nature or collusion existed, "consumers would have been denied the opportunity to buy less polluting cars, even though the technology is available to manufacturers," explained Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy in the community executive.

The Commission would have assessed, in particular, whether the three companies halted their progress in the development of the SCR systems (selective catalytic reduction primarily of nitrogen oxides in diesel) and in the 'Otto' particulate filters (OPF), which are incorporated to gasoline vehicles.

Although Brussels insisted yesterday that the opening of an investigation "does not prejudge its outcome", the step taken is to reveal that there have been detected elements that allow suspecting a bad practice on the part of BMW, Daimler and VW that could have violated EU antitrust rules, which prohibit restrictive business practices, including agreements such as the one being investigated to limit or control technical development.

«No evidence»
From the community executive admits that, at the moment, there is "no evidence" that the manufacturers involved have closed pacts.

In the meetings held by the companies, other technical issues were put on the table, including common quality requirements for auto parts, common quality testing procedures or exchanges related to their own car models that were already on the market. Other variables were also discussed, such as the maximum speed at which the roofs of convertible cars can be opened or closed, or the operation of the cruise control system. "The cooperation also extended to the area of ​​crash tests and crash test drills where automobile companies combined technical expertise and development efforts to improve testing procedures for automobile safety."

The research would be limited exclusively to the specific cooperation that was suspected to have the objective of limiting the development of technologies with a more environmentally friendly component.

The European Commission, in relation to the scandal of tricked emissions in diesel vehicles (known as 'Dieselgate'), states that it has "no evidence" that BMW, Daimler and VW signed agreements on the use of illegal devices to manipulate emissions in laboratory tests.