Breaking: Suzuki called to answer fuel consumption manipulation claim
Suzuki’s Chairman Osamu Suzuki has been requested to front Japan’s transport ministry to answer claims the brand has manipulated fuel consumption figures.
CLAIMS OUT OF Japan suggest the car maker might have, like Mitsubishi admitted to recently, used improper methods to record the fuel consumption of its vehicles. The Japanese car maker has denied the allegation, with spokesperson Hidehiro Hirano telling journalists in Japan earlier today that there was no issue with the way Suzuki tested its vehicles.
But Japan’s transport ministry has requested that Suzuki chairman Osamu Suzuki explain the claims. Suzuki is expected to meet with ministry officials later today.
The story broke, in the wake of Mitsubishi’s recent revelations that it had lied about the fuel consumption of some of its JDM small car range (most of which were built under licence for Nissan) after Japan’s transport ministry ordered all Japanese car makers to audit their methods of fuel consumption measurement.
Reports in Japan suggest Suzuki to was inconsistent with its testing methods and may have breeched Japan’s rules around the methods of measurement.
Stay tuned for more as this story continues to develop across the day.
UPDATE: Suzuki chairman, Osamu Suzuki, has revealed to Japan’s transport ministry that the company used improper testing methods on 16 of its vehicles and that the improper testing method dates back to 2001. However, Suzuki stressed that after an internal investigation of its testing methods that none of its fuel consumption data needed to be amended.
“The company apologizes for the fact that we did not follow rules set by the country,” he said. Suzuki said it measured data related to components such as tires, brakes and transmissions, and combined those results with air resistance tests in a wind tunnel.
Storm in a tea cup? Maybe as no overseas vehicles are affected. Indeed, it seems that no vehicles are actually affected, if you get what I mean…
Bloody hell, how old is that fossil Mr Suzuki. What is it with Japanese companies with these ancient old farts running them. I worked for Canon and they have an average age of about 75 running thee show. N wonder they are so slow to adapt to change.