Speaking at a pre-election town hall event on RTL television on Sunday, Merkel urged German carmakers, who have been caught cheating on nitrogen emissions tests, to work towards regaining public trust in diesel. She emphasized the importance of diesel for achieving climate protection goals, despite the fact that diesel cars emit more nitrogen dioxide, which can be harmful at high concentrations. Merkel acknowledged the differences in legal systems between Germany and the US, which resulted in German car owners receiving less compensation for the scandal. However, she stressed the need for German carmakers to compensate affected owners to prevent harm to the industry's reputation. The auto industry's future, which is Germany's biggest exporter and employs 800,000 people, has become a prominent topic in the current election. Politicians are pointing fingers at executives and each other for the industry's damaged reputation following Volkswagen's admission of cheating on US emissions tests nearly two years ago.