BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen said on Wednesday that cooperation among carmakers on technical matters is a common industry practice but declined comment on allegations that it engaged in anti-competitive behaviour with other German automakers.
VW, Daimler, BMW, Audi and Porsche have faced a barrage of public criticism after a report by German magazine Der Spiegel last Friday said carmakers had colluded for decades on pricing and technologies to the detriment of foreign rivals.
"The Volkswagen Group has no comment to make at the present time on details of these issues or on speculation which has among other things become the subject of public debate," VW said on Wednesday after a meeting of its supervisory board.
"It is quite common for car manufacturers all over the world to engage in an exchange on technical issues in order to accelerate the pace and quality of innovations."
(Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Tom Sims)