COUNTERFEIT CANCELLATIONS
Mercedes-Benz seized more than 1.6 million counterfeit parts in 2023. The parts were seized in more than 740 raids globally; a 20 percent increase in raids compared to previous years. More than 142,000 offers for counterfeit parts were removed as a result of the investigation. “The counterfeiting industry generates enormous margins and has the structures of organized crime,” said Renata Jungo Brungger, member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG for Integrity, Governance and Sustainability. “By taking action against these highly criminal structures consistently with all legal means, we protect not only the reputation of our brand, but also our customers, other road users and ultimately all victims of the counterfeiting industry.”
PAINT PROCESS
Owners of General Motors-made SUVs have filed a class action lawsuit against the automaker, alleging a defective manufacturing process that led to paint peeling problems with its vehicles. The class action lawsuit, brought to the U.S. district court for the central district of California by an Alabama-based legal firm representing four people, states that the paint of affected vehicles is prone to defects. The suit alleges GM knew about the problem but continued with the faulty process anyway. Vehicles listed in the lawsuit include the Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL, among others. Complaints related to these vehicles include peeling, cracking and delaminating paint, as well as clouding paint. Repair costs quoted in the suit are reportedly upwards of five figures. One Reddit user claims his repair was quoted at more than US$10,000.
