Final week we reported on Daihatsu halting gross sales and shipments of all of its vehicles amid a probe into the Toyota subsidiary rigging security exams of 64 completely different fashions, and now the scenario has gotten even worse. On Wednesday, CNN reported that Daihatsu has now stopped manufacturing in any respect 4 of its Japanese factories, with the corporate admitting that it has cast the outcomes of crash exams for greater than 3o years.
The manufacturing unit shutdowns will final a minimum of by means of the top of January and have an effect on round 9,000 workers; there’s no phrase on whether or not Daihatsu’s vegetation in Indonesia and Malaysia might be affected. The shutdowns come after transport ministry officers performed a deeper probe following the earlier findings, as CNN studies:
The scandal is one other blow to the automaker, which had admitted in April to violating requirements on crash exams on greater than 88,000 vehicles, principally offered underneath the Toyota model in international locations equivalent to Malaysia and Thailand.
In that case, “the within lining of the entrance seat door was improperly modified” for some checks, whereas Daihatsu didn’t adjust to regulatory necessities for sure facet collision exams, it mentioned in an announcement on the time.
In Could, the automaker mentioned it had found extra wrongdoing, revealing that it had submitted incorrect knowledge for collision exams on two hybrid electrical autos. The corporate mentioned on the time it had stopped transport and promoting these fashions.
The newest probe additional threatens the corporate’s repute. In response to a report launched final Wednesday by the investigative committee, 174 extra circumstances have been discovered of Daihatsu manipulating knowledge, making false statements or improperly tinkering with autos to cross security certification exams.
In response to the investigation, the oldest case is from 1989, whereas the quantity of circumstances has notably elevated since 2014. A few of the affected fashions fall underneath the Mazda, Subaru and Toyota manufacturers. Following the information Toyota’s shares dropped 4 %, and the corporate launched an announcement concerning the scenario. From CNN:
In response, the Japanese behemoth has promised to shake up its subsidiary, saying in an announcement final week that “basic reform is required to revitalize Daihatsu.”
“This might be an especially vital activity that can not be completed in a single day,” Toyota mentioned, including that it might require a sweeping evaluate of administration, operations, and the way the unit was structured.
“We acknowledge the acute gravity of the truth that Daihatsu’s neglect of the certification course of has shaken the very foundations of the corporate as an vehicle producer,” Toyota added.
There have been no studies of accidents or deaths as a result of rigged exams. Daihatsu was first based in 1951, with Toyota first changing into a significant shareholder in 1967, growing its stake to 51.2 % in 1998 and taking up Daihatsu as an entirely owned subsidiary in 2016. Daihatsu principally focuses on small vehicles and vehicles, particularly kei autos, and it has produced greater than 1.1 million vehicles to date this yr.
