Business & Economy

Japanese authorities inspect Toyota subsidiary factory over testing irregularities

Tokyo, Jan 30 (EFE).- Japan’s transport ministry on Tuesday inspected a factory of Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO), a subsidiary of the automotive giant Toyota, as part of an investigation into irregularities in engine certification testing.

The team carried out inspections at the TICO factory in Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture, public broadcaster NHK reported.

On Monday, Toyota group announced that “irregularities occurred during the horsepower output testing for the certification of three diesel engine models for automobiles that Toyota had commissioned to TICO” affecting 10 vehicle models including the Land Cruiser Prado, Land Cruiser 300, Hilux, Fortuner and Hiace.

Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito said after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that “this misconduct is extremely regrettable as it undermines the trust of industrial machinery and automobile users. It also shakes the foundation of the auto certification system.”

Saito assured that the government will take the appropriate measures based on the results of the investigation.

Toyota has temporarily suspended global shipping of the affected engines and models equipped with them, as well as production on six lines in four of its domestic factories until Feb. 1.

“We have re-verified the mass-produced products manufactured at the plant and confirmed that the affected engines and vehicles meet engine performance output standards. Therefore, there is no need to stop using the affected engines or vehicles,” it added in its Monday statement.

The irregularities occurred during horsepower output testing when engine performance was measured using ECUs with software that differed from that used for mass production, Toyota said.

The Toyota group has been affected by a series of cases of irregularities in vehicle quality controls, the most recent being that of its subsidiary Daihatsu, which paralyzed its global shipments after it was discovered that the safety tests of 64 models were manipulated.

In March 2022, another of its subsidiaries, Hino Motors, admitted to submitting fraudulent emissions and fuel economy data to authorities.

In light of these revelations, the former president of Toyota and current chairman of the group, Akio Toyoda, appeared Tuesday at a press conference to assure that the conglomerate (now made up of 17 companies) will take measures to set a path forward.

“What I must do right now is show the direction that the group should go in and create a place for the next generation to return to if they falter,” Toyoda said, calling on the group’s companies to address apparent governance problems and avoid recurrences. EFE

mra/tw

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