Mercedes-Benz has recovered from an initial hit to the image of its diesel vehicles due to the Volkswagen (VW) emissions-cheating scandal, Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche said on Sunday.
“For some time the entire industry was affected by the VW scandal,” Zetsche, who is also head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, said on the sidelines of the Detroit auto show.
“But there’s clear differentiation and we feel the full confidence with our customer base and our stakeholders again,” he said.
Soon after the VW scandal broke, Zetsche realized he needed to explain to stakeholders “what we do and what we don’t do,” he said. “On that basis today, there is no difference anymore in the trust people have in our brand versus before the scandal.”
Zetsche’s comments came less than a week after Mercedes reported record annual US sales for last year, a sharp contrast with fellow German rival VW. VW has been on the hot seat since US regulators in September charged that it installed software to intentionally subvert clean-air regulations, resulting in excess harmful emissions.
Mercedes launched the company’s new luxury E-Class sedan, emphasizing the new line’s intelligent capacities.
The E-Class includes a new diesel offering with “unheard of efficiency and at the same time being cleanest diesel we have ever seen,” Zetsche said.
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