"I am very, very concerned that there is a feeling that a free trade agreement is the answer to a lot of the problems," Ian Robertson, who was previously the German carmaker's sales chief, told a European parliament committee on Wednesday.

"There would be customs checks, there would be administration, there would be still delays at the border, there would be questions around local content, there would be questions around regulation."

(Reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by Michael Holden)