6.9.2014   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 302/5

1.

On 29 August 2014, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which HUAYU Automotive Systems Co., Ltd, (‘HASCO’, People’s Republic of China), ultimately controlled by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (Group) (‘SAIC Group’, People’s Republic of China), and KSPG AG, (‘KSPG’, Germany), ultimately controlled by Rheinmetall AG (‘Rheinmetall’, Germany), acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of the automotive casting activities of KSPG by way of purchase of shares.

2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

—   for SAIC Group: an automotive holding company whose controlled operations cover the entire automotive industry value chain including the development, manufacturing, sales and logistics of vehicles (passenger cars and commercial cars) and components (engines, gearboxes, powertrains, chassis, interior and exterior and electronic components). Additionally, SAIC Group offers vehicle-related trade and finance services,

—   for Rheinmetall: active in the industry sectors for automotive components and defence equipment,

—   for KSPG: global first-tier supplier to the automotive industry with a special focus on the product and component segments air supply, emission control and pumps, pistons, engine blocks and plain bearings.

3.

On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved. Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under the Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.

4.

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission.

Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax (+32 22964301), by e-mail to COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu or by post, under reference number M.7391 — HUAYU Automotive Systems / KSPG / KS AluTech JV to the following address: