June 28, 2024

BMW reportedly imported Minis with banned parts into the United States

Oliver Zipse, CEO of BMW.
dpa

  • The United States has placed many Chinese companies on the sanctions list.
  • According to the US Senate, BMW appears to have installed components produced by sanctioned companies in Mini Cooper vehicles and imported those vehicles into the United States. The Mini brand belongs to the BMW Group.
  • Importation of cars into the United States has now been halted for the time being.

BMW appears to have imported more than 8,000 Mini Coopers with banned parts from China to the United States. This is what was stated in a report to the US Senate. The Mini brand belongs to the BMW Group. The report says the components have been banned since the 2021 law was passed. BMW continued to import products containing the banned parts until at least April.

The BMW Group said in an email that it had “taken steps to stop imports of the affected products.” The company will replace the damaged parts.

The US Congress passed the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in 2021 to prevent the import of goods from China’s Xinjiang region. The Western government assumes that members of the Uyghur minority use forced labor to produce products there. China denies these accusations.

The US Congress report calls for more measures because self-regulation for automakers is not enough.