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NEW YORK Mercedes-Benz and BMW probe unauthorized exports of luxury cars in the United States to China, which recently surged, threatening profits in the world's biggest auto market, executives said.
The so-called gray imports to China have jumped from authorized dealers countries registered in the free trade area of Shanghai to import cars without the consent of the foreign automakers, exacerbating price pressures for manufacturers German.
As a result, Daimler AG, owner of the premium car brand Mercedes-Benz, said it has intensified its efforts to suppress the export of U S models in China there are about a year.
We were concerned when it hit 4000, said Steve Cannon, head of Mercedes-Benz USA, referring to the number of vehicles delivered to China in the United States.
Mercedes U S can penalize dealers who knowingly sell vehicles called exporters on the gray market, operating through unauthorized channels.
First, he encouraged dealers to exclusive models vet buyers such as GL large SUV, using online resources such as Zillow to check for potential buyers addresses, and discouraged the cash payment for cars said Cannon.
We nipped in the bud, Cannon said, referring to the ability of unauthorized purchasers to acquire vehicles in the United States for immediate export to China We have fallen to almost nothing.
China had a gray market auto sales for some time, centered around the port city of Tianjin, where about half of the total import price of Chinese cars are made whole, Audi, BMW and Mercedes have about 70 to 80 percent market share the premium segment.
A BMW 650i xDrive Convertible that sells 97900 in the United States can cost nearly 2 million yuan 320179, China.
Ian Robertson, member of the BMW AG Board responsible for global sales, said the company is concerned about the impact of new Chinese laws to clear a legal path for parallel imports The automaker is cooperating with the authorities of enforcement of the US investigation into the source and flow of the money used to buy these vehicles.
BMW does not have an exact figure for how many vehicles are shipped to China to the United States through unofficial channels is not a single entrepreneur, Robertson said it is difficult to know.
But BMW sees the vehicles run in China with navigation systems and engines that are specified for the United States, not China a concern, he said, is that American engines are designed to run on fuel different from that which is commonly available in China and result could be that the gray market BMW poor performance.
After years of growth that transformed China first automobile market in the world, the cooling demand is exacerbating tensions between global automakers and local car dealers.
Earlier this year, BMW said it will pay 5 1 billion yuan 823 million to its authorized distributors in China who suffer from slower sales as the economy cools and competition from unauthorized resellers increases.
Additional reporting by Edward Taylor in Frankfurt; Mounting Matthew Lewis.
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