The European Commission has fined Tokai Rika, Takata, Autoliv, Toyoda Gosei and Marutaka a total of € 34 million for breaching EU antitrust rules. The five suppliers acknowledged their involvement in the cartels and agreed to settle the case. Takata was not fined for three of the cartels as it revealed their existence to the Commission. Tokai Rika was not fined for one of the cartels as it revealed its existence to the Commission.
More precisely, the five car component suppliers coordinated prices or markets, and exchanged sensitive information for the supply of seatbelts, airbags and steering wheels to Japanese car manufacturers Toyota, Suzuki and Honda in the European Economic Area (EEA). The coordination took place outside the EEA, notably in Japan, mainly through meetings at the suppliers’ business premises but also in restaurants and hotels, as well as through email exchanges. Collusion between the car safety equipment suppliers generally intensified when specific requests for quotations were launched by the car manufacturers concerned.
In setting the level of fines, the Commission took into account, in particular, the sales value in the EEA achieved by the cartel participants for the products in question, the serious nature of the infringement, its geographic scope and its duration. With respect to Marutaka, the Commission took also into account its role as the facilitator of one of the cartels.
As a result, the Commission imposed the following fines:
| Supplier | Reduction under
Leniency Notice |
Reduction under
Settlement Notice |
Fine (€) |
| Tokai Rika
Takata Autoliv Marutaka |
100%
50% 30% 0% |
10%
10% 10% 10% |
0
12 724 000 265 000 156 000 |
| Takata
Autoliv Toyoda Gosei |
100%
50% 28% |
10%
10% 10% |
0
4 957 000 11 262 000 |
| Takata
Tokai Rika |
100%
46% |
10%
10% |
0
1 818 000 |
| Takata
Autoliv |
100%
50% |
10%
10% |
0
2 829 000 |
