Speaking at a pre-election town hall event on RTL television on Sunday, Merkel urged German carmakers, who have been caught cheating emissions tests, to work towards rebuilding public trust in diesel. She emphasized the importance of diesel in achieving climate protection goals, despite the fact that diesel cars emit less carbon dioxide but more nitrogen dioxide. Merkel acknowledged the differences in legal systems between Germany and the US, which resulted in lower compensation for German car owners affected by the scandal. She stressed the need for German carmakers to compensate owners whose cars lost value due to the scandal to avoid potential damage to the industry's reputation. The auto industry's future, which is Germany's largest exporter and employs 800,000 people, has become a contentious topic in the upcoming election. Politicians are pointing fingers at executives and each other for the sector's damaged reputation following Volkswagen's admission of cheating on US emissions tests nearly two years ago.