U.S. Senate Panel Finds BMW Importing Banned China Auto Parts

The head of the US Senate Finance Committee has expanded an investigation of BMW after the carmaker was found to have imported vehicles to America that contained banned Chinese parts, João da Silva reported for BBC News.

A two-year-long investigation by Wyden's staff revealed at least 8,000 BMW Mini Cooper cars with banned parts had been exported to the US.

In a letter to BMW North America, Senator Ron Wyden, asked whether it had stopped importing components suspected of being made by people from China's Uyghur minority group under forced labor conditions.

Last month, BMW said it had "taken steps to halt the importation of affected products."

It came after a two-year long investigation by Wyden's staff revealed at least 8,000 BMW Mini Cooper cars with banned parts had been exported to the US.

The report found that the cars contained components made by Chinese firm Sichuan Jingweida Technology Group (JWD.) "Is BMW certain that it is not currently importing vehicles containing components produced by JWD?"

Senator Wyden's letter asked and demanded answers by June 21. Other carmakers named in the report included Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen. The US Congress passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) into law in 2021.