Robert Bosch Korea’s chief has spoken up to defend diesel cars from mounting criticism that their engines are the main culprit for fine dust emissions that worsen air quality here.

“Based on today’s technologies as well as (what) Bosch is offering, we do believe diesel is very clean and (used in) eco-friendly engines and (it) is also meeting emission standards,” Frank Schaefers, the head of the German engineering company’s Korean unit, said during a news conference in Seoul on Thursday. 

His remarks come as diesel cars, which once crowned sales here, are beginning to see sales decline following a series of emissions scandals and the government’s push to regulate toxic nitrogen oxide emitted by diesel engines.

His stance is in line with the firm’s German clients -- Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen -- which have all said that for now they have no plans to reduce sales of diesel cars in the Korean auto market.

Schaefers, however, also added that the company is not only providing diesel technology but is also working on other engine types such as gasoline, hybrid and electrification.

In terms of the firm’s Korean business, the chief said, “Korea continues to be an important market for Bosch.”

He added that the company is seeing increasing demand for its diverse range of products and services.

By 2018, Bosch Korea plans to invest approximately 130 billion won ($112 million) in its plant in Daegu National Industrial Park for the production of wiper systems.

The new plant, which is expected to start production in early 2017, is a follow-up plan that came after the German firm created a joint venture with Korean wiper firm KCW in 2015.

Bosch posted 2.2 trillion won in sales in 2015, a 6 percent rise from the previous year. It expects to see sales growth of 2-4 percent this year.

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)