Italian automaker DR Automobiles is facing an antitrust investigation for allegedly misleading consumers over where its DR and EVO-branded vehicles are made, the Italian competition authority (AGCM) said on Thursday.
The company incorrectly represented, both on its corporate website and in advertising campaigns, information over the country where some of its models are manufactured, AGCM said.
Headquartered in the southern Italian region of Molise, DR assembles low-cost cars from the Chinese automakers Chery, JAC, BAIC, including full-electric ones, in Italy with components imported from those companies.
DR and EVO sold around 24,200 vehicles in Italy in the first nine months of 2023, up 48 percent from a year earlier, with a market share of 2 percent.
AGCM and Italy tax police officials carried out inspections at the headquarters of DR Automobiles and of its parent company Donington, the watchdog said in a statement.
“In some cases, they would omit relevant information on their (the vehicles’) origin, suggesting that they are entirely produced in Italy, while they seem to be vehicles of Chinese production,” AGCM said.
DR Automobile did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Source: Automotive News Europe