Mercedes-Benz will continue to promote diesel cars in Japan despite the negative impression that Volkswagen AG has cast on the fuel technology with its emissions-cheating scandal.

Mercedes is aiming to double the proportion of diesel-powered cars it sells in Japan to 10 percent this year, Kintaro Ueno, head of Mercedes-Benz in Japan, told reporters in Tokyo.

He said despite being personally “shocked” by the Volkswagen revelations, Mercedes will push for diesel because of its merits, such as power and fuel efficiency.

Volkswagen’s cheating scandal raises concerns over the damage on German car brands, with Daimler AG and BMW AG also producing diesel models for sale in markets including Japan. Daimler said last week that it supports the development of new testing procedures and that it has never used “defeat devices” in its cars.

bbabo.Net