A U.S. congressional investigation revealed that BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen bought parts for cars from a Chinese supplier known to use forced labor. 

According to The New York Times, BMW shipped out 8,000 Mini cars with a part from the Chinese supplier, after that supplier had been already added to a U.S. government list of companies that use forced labor. The investigation also found that BMW and Jaguar imported parts from that same supplier into the after they were told that the presence of those components in their respective supply chains was against the law. 

That stemmed from a 2022 law that banned most imports into the U.S. from the Xinjiang region, where China was found to have engaged in mass internment and forced labor of minority ethnic groups such as Uyghurs. In that same year, U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) launched the now-released investigation into BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen.

“Automakers are sticking their heads in the sand and then swearing they can’t find any forced labor in their supply chains," Wyden said in a statement to the Times. "Somehow, the Finance Committee’s oversight staff uncovered what multibillion-dollar companies apparently could not: that BMW imported cars, Jaguar Land Rover imported parts and VW A.G. manufactured cars that all included components made by a supplier banned for using Uyghur forced labor."

Also speaking to the Times, a BMW spokesperson said that it has since stopped imports with the part in question. Jaguar Land Rover said that the part was used in older models that aren't for sale anymore. Volkswagen said that it "acted as quickly and responsibly as possible to replace the part," and that it "takes allegations of human rights violations very seriously."