The carmaker Mercedes Benz continues to have trouble with possibly faulty fuel pumps. After a major recall in the USA the group is now also calling in China 231,249 cars in the workshops, as the Chinese supervisory authority SAMR (State Administration for Market Regulation) announced on Friday in Beijing.
In the United States, the company launched a recall for up to 143,000 cars at the end of June, also due to problems with fuel pumps. The fuel pumps of the affected vehicles may pose a safety risk in the event of a failure. According to the information, the cars include GLE and GLC SUV models in addition to cars from the AMG sports sub-brand.
Automakers in China under pressure
In China, the German car manufacturers are currently in a difficult position anyway. The local brands are outstripping Mercedes and Co, as was Kearney’s car boss Christian Malorny recently analyzed in an interview with manager magazin. Especially in the rapidly growing business with electric cars, German providers are at a disadvantage.
Mercedes Technical Director Markus Schäfer (59) recently said that the electric market in China is currently fiercely competitive in the volume segment. “The price war in China is particularly dramatic in the volume segment,” said Schäfer during an online discussion of the management consultancy PwC.
However, Mercedes-Benz itself is focused on the premium and luxury segment. “We continue to be successful in China,” added Schäfer. However, the market share of the brand with the star in the fast-growing Chinese e-car market is “vanishingly small,” he admitted. Including combustion models, the Swabians would have a 10 to 12 percent share in their segment.