Takata case heads to tribunal
The Competition Commission has referred global vehicle safety component manufacturer Takata and its SA subsidiary to the Competition Tribunal for prosecution.
A Business Day report notes the decision follows an investigation in which the commission found Takata was involved in ‘price fixing, market division and collusive tendering’ for components fitted to BMW X3, Honda Civic and CR-V and Toyota Yaris vehicles sold in SA.
The commission has found that Takata colluded with other suppliers on certain components. However, none of the components or vehicles was manufactured in SA. The commission’s Sipho Ngwema said the commission had jurisdiction over competition transgressions that had an effect in SA even if the offences happened outside the country.
The report says in 2017, Autoliv SA – a subsidiary of the global Autoliv company – admitted guilt in colluding with Takata and others and paid a R150m fine. TRW Automotive and TRW Occupant Restraints SA are also named as co-offenders, but Ngwema said the company applied for leniency after it ‘spilled the beans and cooperated with the investigation’.
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