Car makers and automotive industry bodies have been raided by the European Commission and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on the suspicion of anti-competitive conduct.

The unannounced inspections were carried out on OEMs including Renault and Stellantis’ Opel brand yesterday (March 15), while BMW and Ford also received requests for information into the wide-reaching investigation, which is focused on the recycling of old or written-off vehicles, specifically cars and vans.

AM's sister title, Fleet News, reported that the EC has concerns that several companies and associations may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices (Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union).

Meanwhile, the CMA is investigating suspected infringements of Chapter I of the Competition Act 1998 (‘CA98’).

The CMA stressed that “no assumption” should be made at this stage that the CA98 has been infringed.