The BMW headquarters was raided by European Union (EU) officials who are investigating an alleged cartel among German carmakers, Reuters reported.

The EU’s anti-trust officials zoomed in on BMW after the competition watchdog said in July that it was investigating a collusion among German carmakers after newspaper Der Spiegel (via Reuters) reported that Daimler, BMW, Volkswagen (including its Audi and Porsche arms) conspired to fix prices in diesel and other technologies over decades.

Der Spiegel reported that around 200 employees sitting in 60 industry committees discussed vehicle development, brakes, petrol and diesel engines, clutches, and transmissions as well as exhaust treatment systems. During these discussions, the carmakers talked about their suppliers including the price of different components. For instance, the manufacturers discussed details such as the sizing of tanks for diesel emissions treatment fluid called AdBlue and they agreed to use smaller rather than larger ones.

The Brussels-based competition watchdog has yet to file any formal anti-trust proceedings against any of the carmakers although rival Daimler claimed “whistleblower” status in an effort to avoid fines.

Source: Reuters