Porsche boss apologizes

And the FDP also rejected the allegations. / Porsche boss apologizes

Porsche boss Oliver Blume has apologized for statements about an allegedly close exchange with FDP boss Christian Lindner during the traffic light coalition negotiations. “I chose the wrong words in an internal event,” said Blume of “Bild am Sonntag”. “It gave the wrong impression. I’m sorry.”

Blume was reacting to an article in the ZDF satirical magazine “Die Anstalt”, according to which the designated VW boss is said to have told employees at a works meeting on June 29 that Porsche played a very large part in the further use of synthetic fuels ( e-fuels) for combustion engines was included in the coalition agreement. “We were the main drivers there, with very close contact to the coalition parties. Christian Lindner has kept me up to date almost every hour in the last few days,” Blume was quoted as saying.

A Porsche spokesman told the newspaper: “During an internal event in June, the wording was exaggerated, and we apologize for that.” The choice of words does not correspond to the facts. The exchange did not take place and there was no influence. The spokesman did not provide any information on Blume’s exact choice of words.

FDP rejects allegations of exchange

The FDP had also rejected allegations that party leader Lindner was said to have had close exchanges with Blume on the issue of dealing with synthetic fuels. Lindner’s position on so-called e-fuels has been “known for years” and dates back to the FDP’s time in opposition, a party spokesman said.

Regarding contact with Porsche boss Blume, he explained that “in October 2021 there was only a short phone call between Mr. Blume and Mr. Lindner on questions about the use of e-fuels”.

ZDF: Evidence for Blume’s statements

At the end of June, there was a dispute within the traffic light coalition about a ban on new registrations of combustion cars from 2035 at EU level. Lindner had rejected the ban plans.

The FDP stated that before this decision there had been “no contact whatsoever with Mr. Blume”. ZDF had previously announced that there was verified evidence for Blume’s statements.

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: “Verifiably only vehicles that can be refueled with e-fuels” should be able to be re-registered for a longer period of time.

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