Prior to signing on as the exclusive Australian importer Ateco says it was given “written assurances” from Great Wall and Chery that their vehicles complied with Australian regulations and did not contain any a*****estos.
It’s understood Ateco uncovered the presence of a*****estos in various gaskets and notified Great Wall and Chery but was given further assurances it wasn’t used in the production process.
It was later proved that there was a*****estos in as many as eight gaskets in each vehicle (some vehicles only have one or two gaskets containing a*****estos).
Ateco says it froze stock and asked the brands to stop production and replace the affected components, which has been done on newer models.