Volvo Sues Pilkington for Price-Fixing, Attorney Reports

Volvo Sues Pilkington for Price-Fixing, Attorney Reports
July 28, 2010

Volvo Car Corp. announced this week that it has filed a suit in the High Court in London against Pilkington Group Limited for its alleged involvement in a five-year price-fixing cartel, according to a report from Volvo counsel, Hausfeld & Co. LLP. The car manufacturer says it is seeking damages “for the illegally inflated prices charged for car glass over the period of the cartel.” Pilkington was fined $464 million (U.S. dollars) in November 2008, for “illegal market sharing and exchange of commercially sensitive information regarding deliveries of auto glass in the European Economic Area,” along with Asahi, Saint-Gobain and Soliver. (CLICK HERE for related story.)

“The car glass cartel was fined at record levels by the Commission and caused substantial damage to our client Volvo and others in the struggling car industry,” says Anthony Maton of Hausfeld. “Volvo has therefore instructed us to recover the significant financial losses it suffered due to these inflated prices over a period of five years and hopes that Pilkington will take a responsible and commercial view in recognizing its liability to Volvo.”

At press time, representatives from Pilkington parent company NSG Group were unable to comment.

"Pilkington has not yet had a chance to examine the relevant papers," said company spokesperson Yohko Minowa in an e-mailed statement on July 29. "It is therefore not appropriate for us to make any comment at this stage."

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