Stellantis’ $854 Million UK Lawsuit Over Airbag, Seatbelt Cartels Begins

Stellantis’ 771 million euro ($854 million) London lawsuit against two safety equipment makers began on Tuesday, with the European carmaker arguing long-running cartels led to it being overcharged for roughly a decade.

The automaker, which was formed by the 2021 merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group, is suing Autoliv and ZF/TRW for allegedly charging higher prices for seatbelts, airbags and steering wheels.

Sweden’s Autoliv and TRW – which was bought by German rival ZF Friedrichshafen in 2014 – were found by the European Commission to have participated in cartels, relating to products sold to Japanese and European car manufacturers.

The two companies were fined 368.3 million euros in 2019 over cartels involving products supplied to some European car producers, while a Japanese unit of Autoliv was among companies fined for cartels involving supplies to Japanese automakers.

Stellantis argues that the practices of the cartels went far wider than the European Commission’s limited findings.

Its lawyer Colin West said in court documents that it was “inherently unlikely” that Autoliv and ZF/TRW’s cartels affected some carmakers but not Stellantis’ brands.

Autoliv and ZF/TRW however argue that the European Commission investigated the sector for several years – with the companies’ cooperation – and did not find Stellantis was targeted by the cartel.

The companies’ lawyers said there was no collusion beyond what was found by the European Commission and, if there was, any overcharge was passed on by Stellantis to customers.

The trial at the Competition Appeal Tribunal is expected to take five weeks.

(Reporting by Tobin; Editing by Jan Harvey)