Mitsubishi reveals fuel economy test misconduct involving 625,000 cars

Press conference called in Japan to explain Mitsubishi minicar fuel economy irregularities

Nissan DayzMitsubishi has revealed details of misconduct in official fuel economy tests after some of its models were found to have failed part of the test.

The firm has admitted falsifying fuel economy data for 625,000 cars across four model lines: most of the cars were sold in Japan.

  • Audi developed Volkswagen defeat device software in 1999
  • Volkswagen’s UK reputation plunges following emissions scandal
  • Former Volkswagen CEO ‘told about emissions irregularities in 2014’

Rather embarrassingly, only 157,000 of the cars are branded Mitsubishi: Japan’s sixth-largest car company also built the models for Nissan, of which 468,000 cars are affected (the Nissan Dayz is pictured above).

What’s more, it was Nissan that discovered the fuel economy inconsistency and reported the problem to Mitsubishi…

The firm no longer builds the affected cars; Mitsubishi and Nissan are now in compensation talks.

Mitsubishi president Tetsuro Aikawa led company executives onto stage during the press conference this morning – and bowed deeply before revealing news of the economy misconduct.

The affected cars are: 

  • Mitsubishi eK Wagon
  • Mitsubishi eK Space
  • Nissan Dayz
  • Nissan Dayz Roox

The firm held the press conference this morning – but stock markets already reacted with shares plunging 15% on news of the misconduct revelation.

This is the biggest one-day drop in Mitsubishi shares in more than a decade.

Bloomberg revealed the misconduct centred around loading on individual tyres during rig testing, to make fuel economy appear better than it would be in reality.

Mitsubishi’s revelation follows the huge Volkswagen emissions scandal, where pre-installed software detected when cars were being tested on rigs and altered vehicle emissions to ensure they passed the tests.

UPDATE: News has since emerged that Mitsubishi offices in Japan have been raided by officials. A government spokesman is quoted by BBC News saying they’re treating it as “a very serious case” and have given Mitsubishi until 27 April to respond. 

ALSO READ

Volkswagen UK’s reputation plunges following emissions scandal

2016 BMW M2 review

Hyundai i20 Active 2016 road test review

Related Articles

Motoring Research team
Motoring Research team
News, reviews, advice and features from the award-winning Motoring Resarch editorial team.

2 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Find a Car Review

Latest

New Volkswagen ID.Buzz GTX gets 340hp and all-wheel drive

The retro-styled ID. Buzz people carrier is now offered with 340hp, making for an unlikely addition to Volkswagen’s sporty GTX range.

Kia EV9 is World Car of the Year 2024

The Kia EV9 is the latest pure electric car to be named World Car of the Year – and it also scooped the World Electric Vehicle 2024 prize

How to protect your car with an OBD port locking device

We explain how to prevent your car being stolen by criminals targeting its On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) port.

Salon Privé London to host three days of champagne and supercars

Salon Privé London returns to the Royal Hospital in Chelsea next month, with special celebrations of McLaren and the Porsche 911 Turbo.