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Tokyo / Bloomberg
Suzuki Motor Corp.’s minicar sales fell 18 percent in Japan this month, after the automaker disclosed using improper methods to test the fuel economy of more than 2.1 million vehicles.
Dealers heard both encouragement and criticism from customers after Suzuki said May 19 that it didn’t use a test method required by Japanese law, Chairman Osamu Suzuki told reporters Tuesday. In addition to 14 Suzuki models tested improperly, the misconduct affected 12 vehicles supplied to other manufacturers, according to a company statement.
Suzuki has tested all 26 models properly and the vehicles exceeded the fuel consumption ratings used in marketing catalogs. The company cited the 2008 global financial crisis and the increasing workload to develop new models and engines as the reasons it didn’t invest enough in infrastructure or allocate employees to conduct proper testing.
Japan’s transport ministry ordered domestic automakers to investigate and self-report their fuel economy testing methods after Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said it had overstated the mileage ratings of four minicar models by as much as 15 percent and used unlawful test methods on other vehicles dating back to 1991. Nissan Motor Co. has since signed an agreement to buy a 34 percent stake in Mitsubishi
Motors for about $2.16 billion.