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EU raids auto exhaust companies

Brussels - European Union inspectors have raided companies in the automobile sector amid suspicions over a cartel in exhaust systems, the bloc's executive said Tuesday.

The firms and their locations were not named by the European Commission. It only spoke of "companies active in the automotive exhaust systems industry in several member states."

The parts involved include everything from catalytic converters to mufflers and tubes, it said.

"The commission has concerns that the companies concerned may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices and/or abuse of a dominant market position," the commission said in a statement.

But it added that Tuesday's unannounced inspections do "not mean that the companies are guilty of anti-competitive behaviour".

There is no deadline for the commission to complete its probe. It can impose a fine of up to 10% of a company's annual worldwide turnover if EU laws have been breached.

The bloc has been cracking down on cartels in the automobile industry. Earlier this month, the commission fined two European and four Japanese car parts manufacturers almost €1bn for illegally fixing prices for automotive bearings.

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