First label ‘falsification’ unearthed

German publication “AutoBild” reports it has uncovered the first case of sham tyre labelling. Shortly before Christmas, AutoBild posted news that “the first falsification has found its way from China to Europe.” According to AutoBild, a range of tyres produced by a particular Chinese manufacturer feature a label bearing a wet braking pictogram that differs from the one approved for use with the EU tyre label. Other aspects of the label that was used, including size, colour and form, are also unrepresentative of the label approved under EU regulations.

Yet AutoBild’s talk of label falsification may be a touch dramatic – the publication did not report whether the inaccuracies on the label were restricted to aesthetic characteristics or if the tyres’ performance was also incorrectly reported. Nor is it known if the wrong label was consciously used.