“I’m sorry for that”
Porsche boss denies close exchange with Lindner
7/24/2022 5:28 am
How close was the connection between Porsche boss Blume and FDP boss Lindner during the coalition negotiations? First, the upcoming boss of the VW Group boasted a particularly close exchange on the subject of e-fuels, now he is rowing back. His choice of words did not correspond to the facts, says Porsche.
The boss of the car manufacturer Porsche, Oliver Blume, has denied having been in close contact with FDP leader Christian Lindner during the coalition negotiations on the subject of e-fuels. He had “chosen the wrong words” at an internal event, said Blume of “Bild am Sonntag”. This created a “wrong impression”. “I’m sorry for that.”
The ZDF satirical magazine “Die Anstalt” published quotes from Blume from a works meeting in June this week. Blume, who will become head of the Volkswagen Group on September 1, is said to have said that Porsche played a “very large part” in the further use of synthetically produced e-fuels for combustion engines being included in the coalition agreement. Lindner “kept him up to date almost every hour”.
The FDP also denied that the car manufacturer had influenced party leader Lindner during the coalition negotiations on the question of the future of combustion engines. Lindner’s position on the further use of synthetic fuels has been “known for years,” the party said. During the coalition negotiations in October, there was “only a short phone call” between the later Federal Minister of Finance and Blume “on questions about the use of e-fuels”.
In the coalition agreement, the SPD, Greens and FDP agreed, in line with the plans of the EU Commission, that only CO2-neutral vehicles should be registered from 2035. Unlike the Brussels authorities, however, the “traffic light” wants to ensure that this does not mean a complete ban on combustion engines: “Vehicles that can only be refueled with e-fuels can be proven” should be able to be re-registered for a longer period of time.
With a view to the revelations of the ZDF program, a spokesman for Porsche AG told the “Welt am Sonntag”: “During an internal event in June, the formulation was exaggerated.” Blume’s choice of words did not correspond to the facts. “The exchange didn’t take place like that and there was no interference.”