BRUSSELS/PARIS, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Germany has enlisted French carmakers' support for a last-ditch bid to delay implementation of EU carbon dioxide limits by four years, government officials and diplomats said on Friday.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's government wants to water down draft car emissions legislation agreed in June by introducing the phase-in period, under a proposal circulated by German diplomats and seen by Reuters.
Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroen have broken ranks with Paris to side with their Germany-based industrial partners Daimler, BMW and General Motors' Opel division, officials said.
"We became aware of this common industry position last week," a French ministry official said. Germany is expected to use it to press the new demands, the official added.
Renault and Peugeot, which had raised no previous objections to the new CO2 limits proposed for 2020, both declined to comment on whether they supported Germany's bid to loosen the rules.