Production and sales for all affected models has been halted. The motor company intentionally manipulated the testing method that’s required for certification by Japanese law so that it could advertise higher fuel efficiency for certain model vehicles.
Advertisement
“Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has acted quickly and decisively”.
Although Mr Aikawa says he himself had no idea what was going on at the company, he still felt responsible. “Taking into account the seriousness of these issues, we will also conduct an investigation into products manufactured for overseas markets”.
Lance Bradley, managing director of Mitsubishi Motors in the United Kingdom, said: “I would like to reassure everyone that there is no evidence to suggest that United Kingdom or European models are affected”.
However, the scandal will do far more than just hurt Mitsubishi’s bottom line; it is the latest in a long line of fraudulence that automakers have engaged in that will serve to harm the auto industry as a whole.
During a briefing in Tokyo Wednesday, Mitsubishi Motors President Tetsuro Aikawa bowed in apology and said the test data manipulation was “intentional”, according to Bloomberg.
The firm said that after consulting Japan’s transport ministry, it told dealers to stop selling the affected vehicles.
“Nissan understands and regrets the inconvenience and concern this will cause our valued customers”, it said.
Volkswagen AG is already in the middle of a scandal of its own after admitting in 2015 that it had rigged diesel models with software to meet US emissions standards.
The company’s shares fell 15 percent in Tokyo after the revelations, marking the largest decline in Mitsubishi Motors stock in more than a decade, Bloomberg reported. Rather, the workers who committed them simply wanted to “save face” for the company.
Mitsubishi Motors forecast a 100 billion yen ($917 million) profit for the fiscal year that ended in March 2016, down 15 per cent from the previous fiscal year.
Advertisement
This story has been corrected to show the data were for fuel mileage, not emissions.
