After suspending sales of 32 models made by Volkswagen, Audi, and Bentley earlier this year, the South Korean authorities are now targeting other automakers.
The list, according to AutoNews, might be short, but the names written on it are big enough to shake the automotive industry, as they include BMW, Porsche and Nissan and covers a total of 10 models.
The three companies are accused of submitting documents that were already used for similar models in order to make their vehicles road-worthy, says the WallStreetJournal, which cites a ministry official in naming the BMW X5 M, Porsche Macan S, Nissan Qashqai and Infiniti Q50 among the vehicles.
Nissan and Porsche have reportedly admitted of finding “errors” in the certification documents and decided to voluntarily suspend sales of the affected vehicles. BMW, on the other hand, will continue to sell the X5 M until a final decision is taken next month, after a hearing.
“We’ll give the companies until the middle of next month to clarify their positions. After that, the government plans to revoke the certifications, ban sales of their cars, and ask prosecutors to further investigate the case“, Hong Dong-kon, a ministry director, during a news conference.
Besides facing a possible sales ban of certain models, the three carmakers could also pay a combined fine of 6.5 billion won, or $5.6 million at today’s exchange rates.
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