The European Union's high court upheld a fine of 35.5 million euros ($43.5 million) against General Motors Corp.'s Dutch subsidiary Opel Nederland for restricting cross border sales in the region, the Associated Press has reported.
On Thursday, The European Court of Justice rejected an appeal against the fine, saying Opel was unable to show that a lower court "made errors of law in its judgment" in 2003 when it upheld the EU regulators' decision.
Opel was fined in 2000 for forcing Dutch dealers to stop selling cars to customers from neighboring countries where Opel cars cost more. In 2003, the original 43 million euros fine was reduced. However, the company took the case to the EU's high court seeking to have the ruling annulled.
The case is part of an EU drive to open up the European auto market, where prices still vary widely from country to country.
