China Bans Renault Imports

Renault is facing heavy criticism in China after the country decided to block the imports of several cars manufactured by the French company, claiming these vehicles do no comply with the local safety regulations. What's worse is that some officials went even further and unveiled that in the recent months, several Renault models have presented more or less important quality problems.

A statement rolled out by China's General Administration of Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) reveals that the ban only concerns Renault Laguna, Megane, Scenic and Megane Coupe-Cabrio.

"In recent import inspections, we have repeatedly found batches of passenger vehicles made by the French Renault ... do not conform with our country's mandatory standards and relevant technical regulations, and there are serious safety risks," the statement reads.

There are still no details on how many of Renault's cars imported in China are affected by the glitch or the malfunctions discovered in them.

Renault confirmed there are some problems with a few models sold in China but explained that it is already working with local authorities on a way to fix them. In case some of those cars reached the market already, this may end up in a massive recall in the country.

"There have been some issues on a limited number of cars in China. We are sending a team of experts to China to investigate and consult with the authorities," the Renault spokesman was quoted as saying by autocar.co.uk.

A curious thing is that all models supposedly affected by the safety glitches have been awarded with top safety picks in Euro NCAP crash tests, with the French manufacturer using safety as one of the key elements in its attempt to lure more buyers.