In a statement, Mitsubishi said, “MMC conducted testing improperly to present better fuel consumption rates than the actual rates; and that the testing method was also different from the one required by Japanese law”.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, the company said it would stop the production and sales of the affected models, namely, Mitsubishi eK Wagon and eK Space, and the Nissan Dayz and Dayz Roox. Affected minicar models include the eK Wagon and eK Space, both manufactured and sold direct by Mitsubishi, and the Dayz and Dayz Roox, which Mitsubishi built and supplied to Nissan Motors Corporation.
The manufacturer admitted yesterday that employees altered emissions data to flatter the mileage rates on several hundred thousand of its compact “kei” cars (also known as mini-cars) in the domestic Japanese market.
Mitsubishi said since it had developed the applicable cars, it was responsible for obtaining the relevant certifications, and accordingly conducted the fuel consumption testing.
Under rules of the stock market in Tokyo, if there are no trades made in shares of Mitsubishi Motors for the entire day on Thursday, they will be considered to have closed at the price indicated.
Company president Tetsuro Aikawa told the reporters in a press conference that what the staff had done was intentional, and the act of falsification of data was true.
Almost 470,000 of the vehicles were manufactured by Mitsubishi for Nissan and it was Nissan who discovered the problems.
Between the Mitsubishi- and Nissan-badged versions of the model, close to 1 million vehicles produced since mid-2013 are effected.
Mitsubishi Motors sold just over one million cars past year. Mitsubishi is also setting up a panel of outsiders to investigate the controversy.
In 2014, Hyundai and Kia agreed to pay $350 million to settle a suit alleging fudged fuel efficiency numbers.
All are “mini-cars” with 660cc petrol engines and are popular in Japan but have found little success in other markets.
Advertisement
The announcement is the latest scandal to hit the automotive industry after Volkswagen admitted using software to allow diesel vehicles to cheat emissions tests.
