Merkel avoids backing diesel as hits out at emissions cheats

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany June 28, 2017. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a fierce defender of the country's powerful auto industry, appeared to accept the days of the combustion engine may be numbered, as she hit out at carmakers accused of cheating diesel emissions tests.

In an interview with the Wirtschaftswoche magazine published on Thursday, Merkel did not give a clear commitment to the diesel technology that her government has promoted to help cut carbon dioxide emissions and fight climate change.