BMW has had a slap across its mighty wrists by the Swiss competition authority for allegedly preventing Swiss nationals from buying its motors outside Switzerland – in the form of a £163m fine. The reason? The fact that the Swiss franc has risen by a whopping 20% over the last two years.
Not the greatest fans of profit damaging situations, BMW has – according to the competition commission – been making it hard for Swiss people on the lookout for a cheaper BMW outside Switzerland.
In a statement BMW said: "The Swiss automobile market was not foreclosed by BMW, as proven by the fact that its direct imports to Switzerland are comparable with those of other manufacturers.
“The provisions of the BMW and Mini dealer agreements for the EEA [European Economic Area] have not had any impact on competition in Switzerland."
The BMW fine is the largest ever handed out by Switzerland’s competition authority.
Exactly how BMW prevented Swiss nationals from nipping across one of its many borders to buy a BMW is not yet clear, but such a heavy fine suggests the authority believed something serious was going on.
Luckily, not everything is as hard to get hold of as a BMW – a breakdown cover quote from startrescue.co.uk falling happily in this category.
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