MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - The European Commission announced it has informed BMW, Daimler and VW (Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche) of its preliminary view that they have breached EU antitrust rules from 2006 to 2014 by colluding to restrict competition on the development of technology to clean the emissions of petrol and diesel passenger cars. The collusion occurred in the framework of the car manufacturers' 'circle of five' technical meetings.
In 2017, the Commission carried out inspections at the premises of BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen and Audi in Germany, as part of its initial inquiries into possible collusion between car manufacturers. The Commission opened an in-depth investigation in September 2018.
Commissioner Margrethe Vestager stated: 'European consumers may have been denied the opportunity to buy cars with the best available technology. The three car manufacturers now have the opportunity to respond to our findings.'
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