The Canada Brief

Economy · 18 d ago

An XCMG excavator

Huangdan2060 · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Canadian dealers sue Chinese equipment maker XCMG, alleging fraud

Dealers in several provinces allege in civil suits that the Chinese state-owned company tampered with serial number plates to sell older machines as newer ones. A Saskatchewan dealer, LTR Equipment in Quebec and a lift company in Ontario have filed cases.

"As an example, it would be built in 2020, but really sold to us as a 2022 machine."

— Ryan Martin, Arctic Machinery, B.C.

Inventory XCMG says Arctic Machinery did not pay for

18 million $

XCMG Canada said Arctic Machinery bought about $18 million in inventory it did not pay for, and that it is fully defending the claims. None of the allegations has been proven in court.

What we know

  • RCMP searched XCMG's headquarters in April
  • Several dealers have filed civil suits

Not yet

  • Whether any charges will follow
  • How the courts will rule

The RCMP in Alberta confirmed its auto theft unit searched XCMG's headquarters in April, and the investigation is ongoing.