It is as if, as a parent, you put a pack of butts in your child's school bag and then tip off the teacher during class that they are naughty and have brought forbidden items. Customs in the United States has seized thousands of Porsches, Bentleys and Audis because of banned parts. The tipster? That was parental unit Volkswagen.
It's that it's the Financial Times who reports it, otherwise we would not have taken the source mention 'according to two people who know the facts' completely seriously. According to the article of the FT the parts come from western China and are produced in conditions that violate forced labor laws. The cars themselves come from Germany.
Why does Volkswagen click?
The parts came from a supplier who got them from another supplier – it's almost a whispering game. One of the suppliers discovered too late that actions had not been taken properly further down the chain and honestly reported this to Volkswagen. The thousands of cars were already on their way from Germany to the US.
We suspect that Volkswagen has learned its lesson from the dieselgate and to prevent a new scandal, the brand itself now sounded the alarm. The brand itself also confirmed the seizure. It is not known exactly which part is involved, Volkswagen only reports that it is a 'small electronic component that is part of a larger control unit'.
Volkswagen said: 'As soon as we received information about allegations regarding one of our suppliers, we investigated the matter. We will clarify the facts and then take appropriate action. This may include termination of a supplier relationship if our investigation confirms serious violations.”
What happens to the Audis, Bentleys and Porsches?
The same two people report to the Financial Times that Volkswagen has already started replacing the banned parts with good stuff. After that, the cars are allowed to enter the country. Because there are quite a few cars, it may take until next month before all cars are allowed to leave the port and go to the showrooms or customers.
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