Mercedes Says Chairman Won't Mediate GM-VW Dispute

12/12/96

Reuters reports that a spokesman for Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, announced that Mercedes Chairman Helmut Werner is not helping to mediate the industrial espionage dispute between General Motors Corporation and Volkswagen AG. "Werner is not an intermediary between VW and GM," the spokesman said.

The announcement was made in response to a story published by Germany's Stern magazine, which speculated that Werner was playing a role in the legal battle between the two carmakers. Stern reported that Werner had agreed to act as a mediator in the case.

Werner has said in interviews that the two companies should call off their legal battle, because the dispute is bad for German-U.S. relations.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel