S Korea to disallow sales of some Nissan, BMW and Porsche model

SEOUL - South Korea said on Tuesday it plans to disallow sales of two Nissan Motor Co Ltd, one BMW AG and three Porsche AG car models after finding errors in certification documents for the car makers' imported models.

South Korea's environment ministry said in a statement it also plans to fine the local units of the foreign car makers a combined 6.5 billion won (S$5.6 million) after finding certification errors in two Nissan, one BMW and seven Porsche models.

Out of the seven Porsche models, four have discontinued sales, the ministry said.

The decisions on the sales halt and fines will be finalised in December after a hearing, the environment ministry said.

The ministry announced the results of a probe into whether foreign car makers besides Volkswagen AG falsified documents for certification, following a similar finding on Volkswagen earlier this year.

A Nissan Korea spokesman said the company plans to co-operate with the environment ministry and clarify its position in the hearing.

Spokespersons for BMW and Porsche could not be immediately reached for comment.