BMW DECLARES SALVAGED VEHICLES FROM CAR CARRIER BLAZE UNSAFE

Remember when news headlines were blazing about the car carrier called the “Fremantle Highway” that caught fire while sailing in the Wadden Sea from Germany to Egypt? The short of the story involved almost 3,800 vehicles, 498 of which were electric, and the tragic loss of life to a sailor. Hundreds of brand-new vehicles were destroyed in the blaze. A group since purchased the fleet that was afloat during the fire with the hopes to make a profit from the salvaged cars, nearly 300 of which are BMW models.

BMW wanted nothing of it and in December of 2023, the German automaker reportedly filed a preliminary injunction with Dutch courts, claiming concerns over the safety of the salvaged vehicles and for the possibility of damage to the brand’s reputation.

When vehicles are written off by an insurance company as a “total loss,” which these BMW cars reportedly were, that means the company likely already received reimbursement for damages. According to The Drive, a lawyer working for BMW reportedly said that the cars were written off as a “total loss.” Structural damage as well as wiring and paint damage have been reported. The lawyer also mentioned that other automakers, namely Audi and Mercedes-Benz, with intact vehicles on the ship had the cars recycled rather than resold, a common practice for unsafe vehicles involved in floods, fires or sinking ships.

With the sale of the salvage vehicles on an extended delay, the group that purchased the fleet is now asking the courts to lift the injunction so the vehicles can be sold. The group allegedly claims that the salvaged cars have not been damaged noting that “there was only soot on the cars.” In an attempt to find some sort of “middle ground,” the group offered to only sell the cars outside of Europe in markets with less safety regulations.

But BMW takes the risk of selling these cars seriously and does not want them to be sold anywhere, to any market.

“The risks associated with these total loss declared cars are enormous,” said BMW’s lawyer. “Those risks should not be underestimated.” The automaker argues that the fire compromised the fleet’s the wiring, metal parts, paint, and other components, making the vehicles unfit for public roads.

On July 15, a court is expected to rule on whether or not the cars can be sold.

The post BMW Declares Salvaged Vehicles from Car Carrier Blaze Unsafe appeared first on The Online Automotive Marketplace.

2024-07-02T20:33:43Z dg43tfdfdgfd