France is reiterating certain Mercedes models featuring its controversial r134a refrigerant, will continue to be banned as long as the German automaker insists on using the air-conditioning chemical.
Paris has taken an extremely hard line towards Mercedes – which views the EU-mandated alternative r1234yf refrigerant as highly flammable in certain conditions – and shows no sign of backing down.
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“The role of the government and the Minister is very clear,” a French Environment Ministry spokeswoman told just-auto from Paris. “From now, Mercedes has 6 months to conform to the legislation.
“The vehicles are absolutely forbidden to be certified if they do not accept the European legislation. France is a Member State of the European Union and it has confidence in the decisions of the European Union.”
The Environment Ministry cites the EU Mobile Air-conditioning directive that came into force across the Continent from 1 January this year for vehicles delivered after 1 January, 2011.
Mercedes counters the decision lies with its domestic road safety authority, the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), which ensures EU directives are put in place, adding it “immediately” contacted the organisation with its fire safety concerns for r1234yf.
The manufacturer says its models have a valid type approval, which allows the company to use r134a until 2016.
“If you get type approval, you get it from one authority,” a Mercedes spokesman told just-auto from Germany. “If the KBA says it is valid then it is valid throughout the whole of Europe – that is the same for every authority in every Member State.
“The decision of the new type approval is automatically registered in every Member State. That is what happened apart from France.”
As well as the Franco-German spat reaching inter-governmental level, the dispute is also starting to potentially threaten a significant number of jobs in France as dealers struggle to placate frustrated customers.
The Groupement des Distributeurs et Reparateurs, representing all Mercedes dealers in France, says it may have to make 1,500 out of 11,000 staff take partial redundancy as the blockade affecting 5,000 models and rising, continues.
“The present situation is having a disastrous effect on our sales, a situation amplified by our competitors, who are not wasting time in using this argument to improve their own performances and divert our loyal customers,” said a letter from the Mercedes dealers president, Jean-Claude Bernard to French Environment Minister, Philippe Martin, last week.
“This situation is resulting in a completely unfair competitive disadvantage, to which we are incapable of responding and which will profoundly handicap our businesses.”
“We seriously fear this situation will lead to a filing for bankruptcy by certain of our, already weak, network members.”
