France orders extra 800,000 cars off the road over Takata airbag scandal
France is ordering an
extra 800
,000 cars with Takata airbags to be taken off the road, two weeks after a woman died in the northeastern town of Reims from injuries related to a faulty airbag.
The move is the latest twist in the auto industry's biggest-ever product recall, eight years after the company at the centre of the crisis - Japan's Takata Corp - filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States and Japan.
After her 2014 Citroen C3 was hit by a truck, the woman in Reims died after she was struck by a metal piece expelled by an airbag that was ejected from her car, the Reims prosecutor's office said.
Citing the incident, French transport minister Philippe Tabarot said late Tuesday that all cars with the technology should be recalled, no matter how old they were.
He also ordered all manufacturers to tell drivers in Corsica and other overseas departments to stop driving vehicles with the Takata airbags, whatever their production year, until they are repaired, and issued the same order for all cars with such equipment produced until 2011 in mainland France.
The government had previously said vehicles built between 1998 and 2019, from 30 brands, could potentially be recalled.
According to a ministry estimate based on carmaker data, the expanded recall will bring the total to 2.5 million. Within that total, the ministry has doubled the number of compulsory recalls - or so-called "stop drive" orders - to 1.7 million.
French government spokesperson Sophie Primas said on Wednesday the expanded recall was being undertaken out of an abundance of caution.
Takata, which was mainly acquired by a Chinese-owned, U.S.-based company, said at the time of its bankruptcy filing that it had recalled or expected to recall about 125 million vehicles worldwide by 2019.
Representatives for Takata's new owner were not immediately available to comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- Indian Express
India in touch with China on rare earth supply issue amid export curbs: MEA
India on Thursday said it has been in touch with China on the issue of rare earth magnet supply, as Beijing has imposed restrictions on their exports. This is the first time that the Indian government has officially acknowledged raising the matter with China, at a time when Delhi and Beijing are working towards normalising the relationship after six years of border standoff. Responding to questions, MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, 'On rare earths, yes, we have been in touch with the Chinese side both in Delhi as also in Beijing and we are talking to them as to how we can streamline the supply chain issue on rare earths.' 'We are in touch with the Chinese side on several economic issues and trade issues as and when anything is required to be done,' he said. China, which controls over 90% of global processing capacity for the magnets used for automobiles, clean energy and home appliances, enacted restrictions in April requiring companies to obtain import permits from Beijing. China's export curbs — meant as a response to US President Donald Trump's tariffs — is likely to impact car manufacturers worldwide. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), an industry group, has sought the Indian government's intervention. While rare earth magnets are a crucial component in electric vehicle motors, they are also required for parts like power windows and audio speakers used in petrol or diesel-run cars. And though the measures imposed by Beijing are meant to focus on high-performance exports, shipments of low-end magnets are also being held up at ports due to confusion around implementing the restrictions. India's auto sector imported 460 tons of rare earth magnets, mostly from China, in the fiscal year ending March 31 and expects to import 700 tons worth $30 million this year, according to industry estimates. Sources said that the industry bodies and companies had raised the issue with the commerce ministry, and that had been escalated to the Chinese. On April 2, Trump unveiled his policy of reciprocal tariffs, targeting most of America's trading partners. Two days later, China responded by announcing a 34% tariff on all US imports, while also placing export restrictions on rare earths. Following the restrictions in April, China's exports of rare earth magnets fell sharply in May. The framework agreed to by the US and China also involves the easing of rare earth supplies. Critical minerals and rare earth elements, which are used across several key sectors, ranging from electronics to renewables, automobiles and defence, are increasingly playing a vital role in the economy. For instance, lithium, nickel and cobalt are used in lithium-ion batteries. Dysprosium and neodymium, and tellurium, indium, and gallium are used in wind turbines and photovoltaic cells respectively. Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism '2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury's special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban's capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More
India.com
36 minutes ago
- India.com
Days after Operation Sindoor, bad news for Pakistan as China rejects request for hypersonic missiles due to...
China has reportedly refused to supply hypersonic missiles to Pakistan. (File) China Hypersonic Missiles: In another major setback for Pakistan's military ambitions after the drubbing it received at the hands of Indian armed forces during Operation Sindoor, China, its 'all-weather ally' and largest weapons' supplier, has reported turned down Islamabad's request for the supply of Chinese-made hypersonic missiles, and transfer of technology for indigenous manufacturing of the same. Why China turned down Pakistan's request for hypersonic missiles? According to media reports, China fears that Pakistan could allow Western experts to examine Chinese-made advanced missile systems, amid the Islamabad's recent bonhomie with the West, especially the United States. Another reason is the concern over the poor performance of Chinese-supplied weaponry by Pakistan in the recent India-Pakistan conflict. Citing sources, defense website Indian Defence Research Wing (Idrw) said that China has informed Pakistan that its has not developed export variants of its hypersonic missiles, nor are the existing ones– such as the DF-17 equipped with hypersonic warheads– cleared for export, which makes the technology off-limits, at least for the time being. Beijing has also rejected Pakistan's transfer of technology request for hypersonic missiles, which would have allowed Pakistan to indigenously manufacture these advanced missiles, reducing the country's dependence on defense imports, the report said. China's hypersonic technology is meant for strategic deterrence Notably, China manufactures dedicated export variants for most of its defense products, including fighter jets, air defense systems, and missiles, but has not done so yet for its advanced hypersonic missiles. Currently, China has no downgraded or export variant of its hypersonic missile systems, which aligns with Beijing's broader policy of restricting the proliferation of its most advanced strategic weapons, especially those that could have the capability to alter regional or global power dynamics. China is among the few nations to have developed and mastered hypersonic technology, and sees it as a critical component of its strategic deterrence, particularly against the United States and its allies. Experts believe that China refuses to export these strategic weapons, even to a close ally like Pakistan, as it could invite international scrutiny and escalate tensions with rival powers. Its also been suggested that China's hypersonic capabilities are still in its nascent stages, and needs more development before its ready for mass production and deployment. Pakistan wants hypersonic tech to counter India Meanwhile, Pakistan is rapidly expanding its weapons' arsenal, especially its missile systems to counter India's rapid advancement in missile technology, especially the development of indigenous hypersonic and ballistic missile systems. By acquiring Chinese hypersonic missiles, Pakistan wants to close the technological gap with India, which has developed domestic hypersonic capabilities like the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV). According to a recent US intel report, Pakistan's military power and economy are completely dependent on China, which is a major concern for South Asia as Beijing is likely to use any future India-Pakistan conflict as a testing ground for its weapons, such as fighter jets, air defense systems, and missiles. Around 80 percent of Pakistan total defense imports come from China, the report said.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'We maintain constant watch': MEA on China-Pakistan-Bangladesh trilateral meeting
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that it is keeping a constant watch on developments in India's neighbourhood, especially in light of the recent trilateral meeting involving China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh . Speaking at a press briefing, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We maintain a constant watch on the developments in our neighbourhood that have a bearing on our interests and our security, our relations with individual countries, while they stand on their own footing, take into account the evolving context as well." The meeting held on June 19 in Yunnan, China, took place on the sidelines of the 9th China-South Asia Exposition and the 6th China-South Asia Cooperation Forum. It was attended by Bangladesh's acting foreign secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, and Pakistan's Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific) Imran Ahmed Siddiqui. Pakistan's foreign secretary to China, Amna Baloch, participated via video link, as reported by Daily Star. As reported by The Daily Star, Bangladesh called it an "informal meeting", Pakistan termed it as "the inaugural meeting of the trilateral mechanism". In their statements, China and Pakistan stated that the three sides agreed to explore and implement cooperation projects in areas such as trade, maritime affairs, climate change, agriculture, human resources, education, and culture. Live Events When asked about India's recent restriction imposed on trade with Bangladesh, the MEA spokesperson said that the decisions were based on "Bangladesh's own quest for fairness, equal treatment and reciprocity." "The trade-related amendments announced by India in respect of Bangladesh were based on Bangladesh's own quest for fairness, equal treatment and reciprocity. We await resolution of the underlying issues pending with the Bangladeshi side for a long time, these issues have been raised by India at several structured meetings earlier, including at the Commerce Secretary level talks," Jaiswal said. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry imposed restrictions on imports from Bangladesh through land ports after Bangladesh imposed import restrictions on Indian staples like yarn and rice. According to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), India's restrictions on imports from Bangladesh via land ports will impact goods worth USD 770 million, accounting for nearly 42 per cent of total bilateral imports. The move limits the entry of products such as ready-made garments and processed foods to specific seaports, an official press release by the Ministry stated and is widely viewed as a response to Bangladesh's recent curbs on Indian yarn, rice, and other goods, along with its decision to impose a transit fee on Indian cargo, marking a shift from previously cooperative trade relations. Under the new directive, all kinds of ready-made garments from Bangladesh can now only be imported through Nhava Sheva and Kolkata seaports, with entry through land ports no longer permitted.
