Toronto, Ontario — More than 1.6 million Mercedes-Benz counterfeit parts were seized in 2023, according to a press release by the automaker. Parts seized included counterfeit brake parts, paper air filters, body and steering parts.
The 1.6 million-plus counterfeit parts were seized in over 740 raids worldwide. The number of these raids increased by almost 20 percent compared to the previous year.
Moreover, over 142,000 offers of counterfeit products were deleted on social media and online platforms.
“The counterfeiting industry generates enormous margins and has the structures of organized crime,” said Renata Jungo Brüngger, member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG for Integrity, Governance and Sustainability.
“It endangers road safety, takes no account of the environment and stands neither for fair wages nor occupational safety. There are no quality controls. By taking action against these highly criminal structures consistently and 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. In close cooperation with the authorities, we were able to track down many counterfeit factories directly.”
For more information, read Mercedes-Benz’s full report here.
