Robot_Boy
09-26-2007, 11:27 PM
http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2007/09/26/classaction.html
$2B lawsuit accuses carmakers of keeping Canadian prices high
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 | 9:31 PM ET
CBC News
Canadian car buyers have been the victims of an illegal plot by automakers to inflate the prices of cars in Canada and discourage cross-border car buying, according to a $2-billion class-action lawsuit.
The suit, filed by the Toronto law firm of Juroviesky and Ricci LLP, accuses the automakers of conspiring "to lessen competition and to unreasonably enhance the price of new cars sold in Canada," according to the statement of claim.
Most of the big North American and Japanese vehicle makers are named as defendants in the suit, along with the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association and its U.S. counterpart, the National Automobile Dealers Association.
The suit was filed on behalf of four Toronto residents who said they paid much more for their vehicles in Canada than identically equipped models in the U.S. The statement of claim alleges that the "price for identical product from U.S sources could be 25 to 35 per cent lower on average than in Canada" after adjusting for the exchange rate.
The suit gives a number of examples of recent large price differences in the same vehicles when the Canadian dollar was trading above 98 cents US:
* A Chrysler Grand Cherokee Laredo that was advertised for $29,215 in the U.S. and $36,215 in Canada
* A Honda Odyssey Minivan that was advertised for $25,645 in the U.S. and $33,333 in Canada
* A Range Rover Sport that was advertised for $58,500 in the U.S. and $78,300 in Canada
$2B lawsuit accuses carmakers of keeping Canadian prices high
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 | 9:31 PM ET
CBC News
Canadian car buyers have been the victims of an illegal plot by automakers to inflate the prices of cars in Canada and discourage cross-border car buying, according to a $2-billion class-action lawsuit.
The suit, filed by the Toronto law firm of Juroviesky and Ricci LLP, accuses the automakers of conspiring "to lessen competition and to unreasonably enhance the price of new cars sold in Canada," according to the statement of claim.
Most of the big North American and Japanese vehicle makers are named as defendants in the suit, along with the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association and its U.S. counterpart, the National Automobile Dealers Association.
The suit was filed on behalf of four Toronto residents who said they paid much more for their vehicles in Canada than identically equipped models in the U.S. The statement of claim alleges that the "price for identical product from U.S sources could be 25 to 35 per cent lower on average than in Canada" after adjusting for the exchange rate.
The suit gives a number of examples of recent large price differences in the same vehicles when the Canadian dollar was trading above 98 cents US:
* A Chrysler Grand Cherokee Laredo that was advertised for $29,215 in the U.S. and $36,215 in Canada
* A Honda Odyssey Minivan that was advertised for $25,645 in the U.S. and $33,333 in Canada
* A Range Rover Sport that was advertised for $58,500 in the U.S. and $78,300 in Canada