Germany's Auto Industry Becomes a Hot Campaign Issue
- Six weeks before election, candidates adopt sharper tone
- Merkel’s CDU-led bloc well ahead of SPD, according to polls
Angela Merkel kicked off her re-election campaign by launching a stinging attack on Germany's car chiefs. Her main challenger, Social Democrat Martin Schulz, in the upcoming election also took aim at car industry managers in the first weekend of campaigning. Bloomberg's Tony Czuczka reports on 'Bloomberg Daybreak: Europe.' (Source: Bloomberg)
Chancellor Angela Merkel and her main challenger, Social Democrat Martin Schulz, took aim at the backbone of Germany’s export economy, dressing down auto industry managers as the candidates began six weeks of campaigning before the September election.
As potential political damage looms over the diesel cheating scandal amid accusations of collusion between government and industry, Merkel and Schulz placed the blame on executives of auto titans such as Volkswagen AG and Daimler AG. At a political rally in Dortmund on Saturday, the chancellor said decision-makers had swept violations “under the carpet,” while Schulz took a swipe at “irresponsible managers.”