Antitrust regulators within the European Union fined Volkswagen, Stellantis and 13 other car corporations together with their organization ACEA for running a vehicle recycling cartel totaling 458 million euros (USD 495 million). The European Commission located evidence during its company raids three years back about the cartel active from May 2002 until September 2017.

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The cartel directed its operations toward vehicle recycling at the end of life because it handled both dismantling operations and sorting procedures of garbage automobiles. During the investigation the Commission proved that the automakers worked together to stop their advertising competition about recycling features and recycled material content in automobiles. The participating companies chose to reject paying car dismantling expenses concerning end-of-life vehicles even though EU directives enforce auto manufacturers to take financial responsibility for this process.

According to EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera the cartel was unacceptable as they will not allow any cartel existence even if the cartel involves environmental product suppression.

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Volkswagen received the largest individual fine of 127.69 million euros whereas Stellantis paid 99.5 million euros while Renault-Nissan paid 81.46 million euros and Ford paid 41.46 million euros. Among the penalized companies were Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, GM, Suzuki along with Volvo and the three major companies: Volkswagen, Stellantis, and Renault-Nissan.

The cartel was exposed to the EU by Mercedes-Benz which prevented the company from receiving a monetary penalty. ACEA was fined 500,000 euros. The manufacturers involved in the cartel scandal chose to accept their wrongdoing which led to reduced penalty amounts by 10%.

Stellantis accepted the EU decision regarding sanctions of fines and declared full support while the investigation proceeded. According to the company's statement provisions already existed to cover the fine thus the financial impact will appear within its 2024 full-year results.

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This significant fine underscores the EU's commitment to enforcing antitrust regulations and promoting fair competition, particularly in environmentally sensitive sectors. The cartel's actions hindered consumer awareness of eco-friendly vehicle options and undermined the principles of sustainable recycling practices.