Tag Archives: scandal

NEWS

Global Toyota output dropped by 11.2 percent due to safety scandal, typhoon turmoil

Toyota Motor Corp confirmed in a statement last Friday that the total production volume globally in August decreased by 11.2 percent to 709,571 units compared to the same period last year.

This decline was caused by a vehicle certification test scandal and temporary factory closures due to a typhoon that struck Japan in late August.

Additionally, domestic production figures also decreased by 22.2 percent to 185,680 units as popular models such as Corolla Axio, Corolla Fielder, and Yaris Cross remained suspended since last June.

Toyota resumed the assembly operations of these three models at the beginning of September after the Japanese Ministry of Transport confirmed the vehicle safety aspects.

Domestic sales performance in Japan also recorded a decrease of 9.1 percent to 109,505 units.

Meanwhile, Toyota’s vehicle production outside of Japan also showed a decline, dropping by 6.5 percent to 523,891 units after a recall campaign involving the Grand Highlander and Lexus TX models in North America.

The Japanese manufacturer faces fierce competition in mainland China, where sales declined by 13.5 percent.

In addition to Toyota, Nissan experienced a 15.5 percent decrease to 236,016 units due to weak X-Trail SUV sales in China, while Honda witnessed an 11.3 percent decline to 307,870 units.

NEWS

Mazda admits to using ‘external device’, modified engine sofware on vehicle testing

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Following the safety test scandal of Daihatsu, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) of Japan has initiated an investigation into other domestic manufacturers.

In an official statement, Mazda stated it had conducted an investigation into all of its 2,403 tests for applications for Type Designation tests performed between January 2014 and January 2024. The investigation results confirmed irregularities in a total of five tests in two test categories.

The irregularities, which were reported to MLIT on May 30, involve 150,878 manufactured vehicles, out of which 149,313 were sold in the domestic market.

According to Mazda, they had used an “external device” in the frontal collision test for the Mazda 6 and Mazda 3, respectively known as Atenza and Axela in Japan.

The devise was used to trigger a timed activation of the airbag instead of spontaneous activation based on collision detection by an onboard sensor.

Even though these models are no longer being produced, Mazda said it has conducted in-house technical verification as well as re-tests, and confirmed that these models have the performance that meets the legal standards for occupant protection performance in the event of a frontal collision.

Additionally, Mazda admitted to using a different engine control software in the petrol engine output test for the MX-5 RF and Mazda 2.

“The test should have been performed using engine control software in the same condition as a mass-production vehicle, but it was conducted by using control software in which the ignition timing adjust function was partially deactivated,” the manufacturer said.

In light of the result, Mazda stated that they will rewrite the engine control software and conduct the tests again under the same conditions as those for mass-production vehicles.

The company assured that the affected units are still safe to drive but have temporarily suspended their sales since May 30.

NEWS

Daihatsu announces leadership reshuffle following safety scandal

DAIHATSU Motor Co. Ltd, which has been embroiled in a safety test scandal since last year, has announced a new structure that will take over the company’s leadership effective March 1.

The new leadership structure will see Daihatsu’s current chairman, Sunao Matsubayashi, and its current president, Soichiro Okudaira, stepping down from their positions.

Matsubayashi will be replaced by Masahiro Inoue, who is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation in Latin America and the Caribbean, while Okudaira’s position will be taken over by Masanori Kuwata, the head of the Lexus International Co’s electrification promotion project.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Officer of Toyota Customer First Promotion, Keiko Yanagi, will replace Masahiro Yamamoto as a non-resident director of Daihatsu.

In a joint statement, Daihatsu and Toyota stated that they will implement comprehensive measures to prevent such manipulation from recurring and strive towards Daihatsu’s recovery.

“We would like to again offer our deepest apologies to our customers, suppliers, dealers, the communities in which our plants are located, and our many other stakeholders for the inconvenience and concern caused by the recent issue of certification irregularities.

“Although all plants of Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (Daihatsu) in Japan suspended operations following our announcements made on December 20, we were able to resume production and shipments of some vehicles as of yesterday,” the company said.

NEWS

Daihatsu safety scandal: UMW Toyota ensures transperancy and quality

IN light of recent developments surrounding the safety test at Daihatsu Motor Co Ltd (DMC), UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT) has released a statement ensuring customers and the public that it is committed to transparency and accountability.

This follows the statement released by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) highligthing a procedural irregularity in in the testing of models by DMC, impacting three models distributed by UMWT in Malaysia.

President of UMW Toyota Motor, Datuk Ravindran K. said, “We emphasise our dedication to maintaing the highest standards and quality in our vehicles. Rest assured, we are actively working to ensure that all our vehicles in Malaysia strictly adhere to the relevant regulations and rules.”

Ravindran stated that UMWT is also working closely with regulatory authorities to promptly and transparently address this matter, maintaining its commitment to delivering high-quality vehicles to the Malaysian market.

“We understand the importance of trust, and we we want to reinforce the confidence our customers place in us. Our dedication to customer satisfaction has always been and remains our top priority,” he added.

In a statement issued on December 20th, TMC stated that an investigation conducted by an independent third-party committee found new irregularities in 174 items within 25 test categories. This is in addition to the door lining irregularity in April and the side collision test irregularity in May.

These encompassed a total of 64 models and three engines of vehicles (total of models currently being produced, developed, or ceased in production), including 22 models and one engine being sold by Toyota. The affected Toyota models sold in Malaysia are the Rush, Veloz, and Yaris/Vios.

In light of this, TMC and DMC have temporarily suspended shipments of all affected models both in Japan and overseas.

NEWS

Daihatsu safety scandal: Perodua to conduct detailed assessments

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FOLLOWING the announcement by Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (DMC) today regarding the suspension of its models due to “procedural irregularities,” Perodua has also issued a response in relation to the independent audit committee report.

The “procedural irregularities” were conducted by DMC during vehicle safety tests on several original equipment manufacturers (OEM), which were announced early this morning.

The independent audit committee report, as announced by DMC, stated: “The inspection and tests confirm that all 174 irregularities identified by the independent audit committee meet the standards set by laws and regulations.”

Perodua is conducting a detailed assessment of the issue and is in discussions with the Malaysian authorities regarding the impact of these developments on its vehicles.

On April 28, 2023, DMC announced the occurrence of “procedural irregularities” during safety tests on vehicles in Japan. Following this announcement, DMC established an independent audit committee comprising legal and technical personnel.

“We apologize to our valued customers and the public for the concerns arising from this announcement,” stated today’s release by Perodua.

“Our intention is to provide assurance to our valued customers.

“We will share the results of these discussions with all our customers in the near future.”