23 Sep Volkswagen recalls vehicles in China over faulty airbags

The Financial Times, September 14, 2017

Carmaker to repair 4.86m vehicles with airbags made by Japan’s Takata

The VW recall will apply to both imported and Chinese-made vehicles sold as early as 2005 © AFP

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Bill Russo quote:

Yet experts said any fallout from the current recall was largely the fault of Takata.

“Takata has shown itself to be a faulty manufacturer, so for Volkswagen, the recall is not because of a systemic issue,” said Bill Russo, a managing director at Gao Feng Advisory and former chief executive at Chrysler China.

Volkswagen’s overall sales have held steady in China. The group sold 1.4m vehicles in China during the first half of 2017, up 5.4 per cent from the same period last year, in part due to the strong performance of Volkswagen’s SUV models among Chinese drivers.

“While this recall is certainly more visible, it is a speed bump, not a roadblock, for Volkswagen,” said Mr Russo.