The state government of Bavaria in Germany has announced a voluntary recall with BMW and Audi that will allow the automakers to upgrade their old diesel engines to avoid potential driving bans.
Baden-Wuettermberg, the home to Daimler, said that it is open to a similar solution to avoid forcing the home-grown car manufacturers to pull their diesel vehicles off the roads in some cities.
Bloomberg reports that the three companies have been fiercely lobbying against the potential diesel bans and have offered to upgrade up to 13 million diesel vehicles to make them cleaner and more efficient.
A number of cities throughout Germany have proposed diesel bans but at this stage, only the city of Hamburg has successfully restricted older diesel vehicles from certain roads.
While many support the proposed bans, not everyone is in favor. In 2016, diesel vehicles accounted for about 46 per cent of automotive sales in the country and Bosch alone employs around 50,000 people in diesel-related positions. On the back of this, German transport minister Alexander Dobrindt recently said driving bans are an ineffective tool for reducing pollution.
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