Vehicle Importer ZAP Sues DaimlerChrysler

Vehicle importer ZAP said it had filed a lawsuit against automaker DaimlerChrysler, accusing Daimler of disrupting ZAP’s business and seeking more than $500 million in damages.

Representatives of Daimler, based in Germany, were unavailable for comment on the lawsuit, which was filed last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Smart, a Daimler brand that makes small cars, in June said it would not do business with Santa Rosa, Calif.-based ZAP, which wanted to import $1 billion worth of cars to the U.S. At that time, Smart said it never sold cars to independent distributors.