Year of Horsepower: Car industry shifts gears

Number of recalls hits new records

Volkswagen Group China in March recalled its 384,181 vehicles equipped with seven-speed DSG transmission.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said that as of Dec 26, the authority has helped carmakers announce 130 batches of vehicle recalls involving 3.76 million vehicles in China, 17.37 percent more than last year, hitting a record high.

However, the second day, on Dec 27, General Motors added 1.46 million units and Ford Motor Co 80,857 units to the recall record.

Chen Xitong, spokesman for the country's quality watchdog, said that of the previous amount without GM and Ford's latest announcement, 52.17 percent of the recalled vehicles - about 1.96 million units - were recalled after investigations by the administration and that 3.28 million vehicles were voluntarily recalled by domestic automakers.

It included the long-awaited recall issued by Volkswagen Group China in March for its 384,181 vehicles equipped with seven-speed DSG transmission, finally resolving a dispute between the German company and consumers that had lasted for several years.

The company later in November recalled another 640,309 vehicles with oil problems in the seven-speed double-clutch gearboxes.

Analysts said that the big increase in recall batches and numbers in 2013 can be partly attributed to the implementation of the new 3R - repair, replacement, refund - policy which effectively regulates the recall sector.