Germany's top carmakers were challenged by a Berlin-based rights group on Wednesday over the extent of their due diligence to prevent forced labour in their supply chain, as Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) said it would conduct an audit at its plant in Xinjiang.
Volkswagen, BMW (BMWG.DE) and Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) were accused of providing insufficient proof that their efforts to track their suppliers in Xinjiang, China, complied with Germany's new supply chain law, according to the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR).
Volkswagen said it was surprised by the allegations and was examining the complaint, filed by ECCHR with Germany's export control office BAFA.
The carmaker has a plant in Xinjiang's capital which does not produce vehicles but runs quality checks on cars for sale in the region.
Its China chief visited the plant earlier this year and said he saw no signs of forced labour, but the company has come under heavy pressure from investors and activists to do further due diligence.
