Renault, Nissan, PSA Group, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Jaguar Land Rover are being investigated by the European Commission for possible antitrust violations on car parts, a German magazine reported.
The probe centers around whether the companies colluded to raise prices by as much as 25 percent on car parts, with the help of consulting firm Accenture. The commission’s investigation started in December, Der Spiegel reported, without saying where it got the information.
Spokespeople for Jaguar Land Rover, PSA and Fiat Chrysler declined to comment, while representatives from Renault and Nissan could not be reached for immediate comment.
This would be the second large-scale investigation by the commission into European automakers. The regulator opened a probe in September into whether Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW colluded on clean-emissions technology for cars.
The probes would come at a tough time for the companies, who are already dealing with headwinds on a number of fronts including possible tariffs on U.S.-bound cars and the looming threat of a no-deal Brexit that would wreck havoc on their supply chains between the European Union and the UK.
A European car parts investigation would also add to Renault and Nissan’s woes as the two companies deal with the fallout from the Nov. 19 arrest of their former chairman Carlos Ghosn, who is in prison in Tokyo awaiting trial for alleged financial crimes.
