Ford faces a fine of $365 million!

One of the most important customs cases in the history of the United States has been taking place recently. As it is known, the American brand Ford produces the majority of commercial automobiles together with Otosan in Turkey. The company detected fraud in the commercial vehicles the brand imported to the US market, and a large fine was imposed on the Ford brand. Here are the details…

US Customs prepared a $365 million fine for Ford!

As it is known, the Ford brand has been collaborating with Otosan for many years. Many of the brand’s products in its commercial automobile range are designed and produced in Turkey. Models such as Electric E-Transit, F-Max and Courier were designed and produced in Turkey. Then they opened up to the world market. Of course, there are also versions of these models that are not available in the European market. They have large volume engines and are direct passengers to the USA.

We should point out that there is also a large commercial automobile market in the United States. Ford also produces and imports versions with 3.2 and 3.5 engines in Turkey for this market. However, there are serious problems with the cargo vans that the brand imported from Turkey between 2009-13.

Allegedly, the brand temporarily added passenger seats to the rear of these vehicles. Thanks to these seats, cars fell into the 2.5 percent tax bracket instead of 25 percent. This helped keep the prices of cars at a very low level.

However, the US Department of Justice determined that 163 thousand Transit Connect vehicles entered the country in this way, and that the rear seats of these vehicles were later removed and they were converted into light commercial models. Regarding the issue, the USA imposed a fine of 184 million dollars for unpaid taxes. In addition, another $181 million fine was imposed due to irregularities. In total, Ford will pay a penalty of $365 million.