Daimler AG employees are under investigation by German prosecutors over diesel-manipulation allegations, according to reports.
German newspaper Die Zeit reports that a Daimler worker testified to Stuttgart officials that the company may have manipulated its diesel engines to cheat on emissions tests.
However, Daimler has denied the allegations saying its cars have been successfully checked by Germany’s motor authority and transport ministry.
Joerg Howe, a spokesman for the Stuttgart-based manufacturer, says Daimler is not aware that prosecutors were investigating employees.
But Jan Holzner, a spokesman for the Stuttgart prosecutors, says Daimler employees were being probed for possible fraud and false advertising.
Carmakers have been under the spotlight since Volkswagen AG revealed in September 2015 that it installed software in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide to bypass pollution rules.
German prosecutors in three cities are now targeting German automakers over diesel-emission issues. Officials in Braunschweig have been investigating Volkswagen employees for almost two years, while Munich prosecutors raided offices of Volkswagen’s Audi unit and also opened a fraud probe into the luxury brand.
Stuttgart prosecutors have also been investigating since December 2015 whether employees at auto supplier Robert Bosch GmbH participated in the manipulations.
