91998E2534

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2534/98

by Graham Mather (PPE) to the Commission

(1 September 1998)

Subject: Car prices in the EU

In responding to my earlier Written Question E-1851/98(1), the Commission states that it "has been dealing with many complaints from individual consumers related to the purchase of right-hand-drive cars".

1. In total, how many such complaints has the Commission received in the last five years?

2. To which Member States do the complaints relate, and how many complaints have been received per Member State over the same time period?

3. To which manufacturers do the complaints relate, and how many complaints have been received per manufacturer over the same time period?

4. Does the Commission have an estimate of the volume of sales that have been affected by the difficulty experienced in purchasing vehicles in another Member State by UK consumers?

Answer given by Mr Van Miert on behalf of the Commission

(15 September 1998)

1. Complaints related to the purchase of right hand drive (RHD) cars arose only from mid-1997. Since then, approximately 250 individual consumers have contacted the Commission.

2. The majority of the complaints concern the Netherlands and Belgium. A smaller number concern Germany, France and Spain.

3. The largest number of complaints concerns Volkswagen, followed by Mercedes-Benz, and to a lesser extent Rover, BMW, Audi, and Peugeot/Citroën. A small number of complaints concern Japanese manufacturers, notably Honda, Subaru and Mitsubishi.

4. Due to the fact that British consumers only inform the Commission in cases where they have problems, the Commission does not know how many successful parallel imports of RHD cars take place. However, figures supplied by three prominent manufacturers indicate an increase in RHD parallel imports in 1997/1998.

As mentioned in the Commission's reply to the Honourable Member's earlier Written Question E-1851/98, certain car manufacturers in Europe have designated telephone lines for people who experience problems trying to buy a car abroad. The Commission is awaiting feedback on how well these "hotlines" function, and will keep the Honourable Member informed of progress in this area.

(1) OJ C 13, 18.1.1999.