China's antitrust regulator on Thursday announced its first-ever punishment of foreign carmakers for price-fixing, fining Volkswagen AG and Fiat's Chrysler a combined $46 million.

The penalty raised the possibility of similar fines being levied against other global players, such as Daimler's Mercedes-Benz and Tata Motor Ltd's Jaguar Land Rover, which are being probed for possible anti-competitive behavior.

The Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission said in a statement it would fine Chrysler's China sales unit 32 million yuan ($5.22 million) for operating a price monopoly.