Small Italian car manufacturer DR Automobiles has come under fire for allegedly misleading consumers about where its vehicles are made.
The company has been selling Chinese-based vehicles in Italy since 2006 but is now facing an antitrust investigation led by the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) for incorrectly representing the origin of its vehicles on both its corporate website and in advertising campaigns. DR Automobiles has enjoyed a particularly fruitful year in 2023, selling around 24,200 vehicles in Italy through the first nine months, a 48% increase from the year prior and giving it a 2% market share.
Auto News Europe reports that the Italian competition authority is particularly interested in the company’s DR and EVO-branded models. Among the vehicles it sells in Italy are the pint-sized DR 1, the DR 3 Coupe SUV, DR 4 family SUV, the almost-identical DR 5 SUV, and two larger SUVs known as the DR 6 and DR 7. It also has a pickup truck in its range known as the PK8.
Read: Ickx K2 Is A $60K Italian-Chinese Lovechild Of A Jeep Wrangler And A Range Rover
The company assembles vehicles from a handful of Chinese car manufacturers including Chery, JAC, and BAIC. Italian authorities, including tax police officials, recently conducted inspections at DR Automobiles’ headquarters and those of its parent company, Donington.
“In some cases, they would omit relevant information on their (the vehicles’) origin, suggesting that they are entirely produced in Italy, while they seem to be vehicles of Chinese production,” the AGCM said in a statement.
DR Automobiles most recently made headlines in April this year when it unveiled the K2 off-road SUV, the first model to launch from its Ickx brand. DR’s K2 is based heavily on the BAIC BJ40 but has a number of bespoke components, like a carbon fiber front grille.
