The three foreign automakers were found to have forged certain specifications or types of the vehicles’ parts to make it look as though they meet the local standards, between 2010 and 2015, according the Ministry of Environment. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – The local units of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Porsche have been fined a combined 70.3 billion won (US$63.1 million) for falsifying documents required for government certification that grants them domestic sales, the environment ministry said Thursday.
The three foreign automakers were found to have forged certain specifications or types of the vehicles’ parts to make it look as though they meet the local standards, between 2010 and 2015, according the Ministry of Environment.
They also omitted changes in the documents for the parts that had been replaced with the ones different from what had initially been said.
Such falsifications could mislead consumers about the vehicle’s general performance and fuel efficiency, which gives the authorities enough grounds for cancellation of their certifications and a sales ban of the models, the ministry said.
But no measures will be taken on or applied to the vehicles that have already been sold or those who own them, it added.
BMW will face a penalty of some 60.8 billion won, while Mercedes and Porsche can expect fines of 2.9 billion won and 7.8 billion won to be levied, respectively.
The ministry’s probe said that such irregularities were found in 28 BMW models, or 81,483 of its vehicles. Mercedes sold 8,246 units subject to the irregularities, while Porsche sold 787 such units.
(Yonhap)
