Several electrical car parts manufacturers have been raided simultaneously by antitrust agencies around the world, kicking off a series of parallel cartel investigations in the EU, Japan and the US.
On 24 February 2010, the European Commission, with the assistance of several national competition authorities, carried out surprise raids at the premises of electrical car parts manufacturers suspected of participating in a global price-fixing cartel. The Commission confirmed that the investigation relates to the supply of electronic components described to function as the "central nervous system" of a car. This is sometimes referred to as a car's wire harness, which link the on-board computer of the car to its various functions. The Commission is also investigating other components for automotive electronic and electrical distribution systems. It is reported that the premises raided by the Commission include the London office of Yazaki, a Japanese supplier of car parts, and the German and French offices of Leoni, a German firm which specialises in cable and wiring.
Parallel raids were conducted simultaneously by competition authorities in the US and Japan as part of a coordinated international operation. The US headquarters of Japanese companies Yazaki, Tokai Rika and Denso International were allegedly raided by the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and US manufacturer Lear Corporation also confirmed it was raided. In Japan, which appears to be the focus of the allegations, the Japanese Federal Trade Commission visited several manufacturers including Yazaki and at least two other Japanese manufacturers.
Internationally coordinated inspections are becoming increasingly commonplace as the Commission focuses its efforts on destabilising high-impact international cartels.
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