General Motors is currently the second largest foreign carmaker in China, with a record 3.06 million deliveries through October, trailing only Volkswagen (3.2 million).
According to Bloomberg, however, it is also under investigation by the country’s National Development and Reform Commission over monopolistic behavior.
The commission’s director, Zhang Handong, told China Daily newspaper that a foreign automaker, which he declined to name, had instructed its local distributors to fix prices starting 2014. When contacted, the commission declined to comment on the issue.
The American automaker, on its part, stated that “GM fully respects local laws and regulations wherever we operate. We do not comment on media speculation”.
If the report turns out to be true, then this would be the seventh fine handed out to foreign automakers over anti-trust law since 2011, with Mercedes-Benz, Audi and one of Nissan’s joint ventures having been penalized in the past.
Some view this as an answer to President-elect Donald Trump’s anti-Chinese rhetoric, while others believe this is part of a long-term plan to crack down on illegal practices and protect their own automakers.
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