Car dealer launches lawsuit claiming unfair fees on vehicles purchased in the U.S.
VANCOUVER - A Vancouver car importer has filed a lawsuit against several major automakers, claiming they artificially inflate prices for Canadians wanting to buy vehicles in the U.S.
Westport Motor Cars Ltd. says manufacturers clearly want to discourage cross-border car shopping by charging “unreasonable fees” for modifications required to make the vehicles comply with Canadian standards.
Westport owner Todd MacDonald said BMW, for example, has added new measures required before its U.S.-sourced cars can be driven in Canada - including changing speedometers to highlight kilometres per hour instead of miles per hour and changing modules to read Celsius instead of Fahrenheit.
He said the time-delaying modifications can cost up to $5,000.
“These measures are a crock,” MacDonald said in an interview. “I’ve finally had enough and that’s why this [lawsuit] is happening.”
