The Federal Ministry of Transport and the Federal Motor Transport Authority are suspected of having betrayed Daimler's trade secrets.
The Stuttgart public prosecutor's office confirmed investigations against unknown actors from the two authorities on Thursday.
"People from the Federal Ministry of Transport and / or the Federal Motor Transport Authority are possibly suspect," said a spokeswoman.
It is about the unauthorized disclosure of trade secrets.
Due to the ongoing investigation, details could not be given.
The investigators took action on their own initiative.
There is no complaint.
The first to report on the case was Wirtschaftswoche magazine.
The car manufacturer Daimler has been arguing with the Federal Motor Transport Authority for years in the wake of the emissions scandal.
This had had hundreds of thousands of diesel vehicles recalled by Daimler because of a supposedly inadmissible exhaust technology.
The group, on the other hand, insists that there was no manipulation and is therefore suing the competent administrative court.
When asked, Daimler did not comment on the investigation. The Federal Ministry of Transport in Berlin declared that the authorities were complying with the information and cooperation obligations incumbent on the public prosecutor's investigation. Further details were not given. The KBA in Flensburg did not provide any information with reference to the ongoing proceedings.