• The Italian government has fined DR Automobiles $6.4 million for allegedly misrepresenting Chinese-made vehicles as Italian-produced
• They says vehicles being primarily manufactured in China with only minor assembly and finishing in Italy
• The fine comes amid broader efforts by Italy and the EU to curb the sale of vehicles produced outside the trading bloc
• The EU is also considering imposing import taxes up to 38% on Chinese electric vehicles
• DR Automobiles plans to appeal the fine

Firm fined for selling China-made cars as Italian

The Italian government has fined DR Automobiles $6.4 million for allegedly misrepresenting Chinese-made vehicles as Italian-produced. The competition regulator found that DR Automobiles marketed cars under the DR and EVO brands as Italian-made, despite the vehicles being primarily manufactured in China with only minor assembly and finishing in Italy.

DR Automobiles, based in southern Italy, assembles low-cost vehicles using components from Chinese car makers Chery, BAIC, and JAC. The company plans to appeal the fine, saying it never claimed its cars were entirely made in Italy.

The fine comes amid broader efforts by Italy and the EU to curb the sale of vehicles produced outside the trading bloc. Recently, Fiat’s Morocco-made Topolino cars were seized for bearing Italian flag insignia, and Alfa Romeo rebranded its Poland-made Milano model to Junior following regulatory pressure.

The EU is also considering imposing import taxes up to 38% on Chinese electric vehicles, adding to the current 10% tariff, in response to concerns about the impact on the regional motor industry. China has criticised these potential tariffs as protectionist and a violation of international trade rules. This follows the US’s recent decision to increase its tariff on Chinese electric cars from 25% to 100%.