Daimler ‘soft’ on diesel story

Daimler AG sought to play down a newspaper report that its own engineers questioned the legality of software used to control diesel equipment in its vehicles, saying US authorities knew about the allegations and haven’t taken action.

Documents reported on by Bild am Sonntag have “selectively been released in order to harm Daimler and its 290,000 employees,” Joerg Howe, a spokesman for the Stuttgart, Germany, manufacturer, said Sunday in an e-mailed response to questions. “The authorities know about the documents and no complaint has been filed.”

The maker of MercedesBenz cars said it continues to cooperate with the EPA and the California Air Resources Board, as well as a request by the Department of Justice to conduct an internal probe.

Even so, Daimler shares fell 2.1 percent on Monday on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, to 71.01 euros.

The Bild report cited e-mails from employees who flagged a number of software functions that could potentially run afoul of US emissions regulations.

One was designed to help a tank of AdBlue fluid that helps eliminate harmful exhaust gases last for the entire period between a car’s servicing checkups. Another, called Slipguard, could recognize if a car was on a test stand and regulate the dosage of AdBlue, the newspaper reported.