|
DaimlerChrysler in probe?
|
 |
April 14, 1999: 4:25 a.m. ET
Report: auto giant faces antitrust swoop as EU clamps down on price fixing
|
LONDON (CNNfn) - DaimlerChrysler has become the latest target of the European Commission's crackdown on the region's auto market, according to a report published Wednesday.
Brussels anti-trust chiefs have opened proceedings against the newly-merged auto giant, charging it with price fixing and market discrimination, said The Wall Street Journal.
The Commission alleges DaimlerChrysler broke competition rules by preventing dealers from selling Mercedes to non-residents of their countries and imposing strict conditions on bulk purchases by corporate buyers, said the report, citing a Commission official.
The alleged infringements took place between 1985 and 1996 in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.
Competition officials in Brussels have focused heavily on the auto sector where terms and conditions vary hugely for customers in the 15 member states, with price differences of up to 40 percent.
Volkswagen was hit with a 102 million euros ($110 million) fine last year after the Commission found it guilty of preventing non-residents from taking advantage of cheap deals offered in the Italian market. 
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
