A Mitsubishi dealership in California. Mitsubishi admitted to using deceptive fuel emissions tests for the past 25 years; it is unknown precisely how many vehicles were affected.
(Photo: Reuters)
Apr 26, 2016
Following VW's smog-testing cheating scandal in September, Mitsubishi on Tuesday announced that its employees used outdated emissions testing methods outlawed in Japan on millions of vehicles sold since 1991.
The outdated methods violated Japanese regulatory standards and provided deceptively low emission measurement results. The environmental impact of Mitsubishi's decades-long deception is, as of yet, still undetermined.
The New York Times reports:
The automaker said it still did not know exactly how many models had been given exaggerated fuel ratings. But it said it now believed it had been using unapproved methods since 1991--a period that covers dozens of vehicle introductions and millions of cars and trucks.
Mitsubishi has been reviewing its tests since the revelations that it had cheated on ones for the mileage ratings of small-engine microcars that it sells in Japan and supplies to another Japanese automaker, Nissan, through a joint venture agreement. Nissan engineers discovered the discrepancy last year, the company said.
Last week, Mitsubishi said its cheating on fuel economy tests had affected 620,000 vehicles sold in the Japanese market since 2013.
Mitsubishi "said it had been submitting non-compliant data to Japan's transport ministry since 1991," Reuters reported, while the company "previously said such non-compliance went back only to at least 2002."
Mitsubishi's deception only applied to cars sold in Japan; the fuel tests Mitsubishi used were allowed by U.S. regulators.
"Tetsuro Aikawa, Mitsubishi Motors' president, said an inquiry led by three external lawyers had been opened," the BBC reported. "We don't know the whole picture, and we are trying to determine that. I feel a great responsibility," the news broadcaster quoted Aikawa as saying.
CNN Money reports that the revelation has cut the value of the automobile giant in half. "JPMorgan auto analyst Akira Kishimoto estimated the cheating could cost Mitsubishi more than 50 billion yen ($450 million), including payments to consumers, the cost of replacing parts, and compensation to Nissan," writes teleSUR.
Mitsubishi's admission confirmed observers' expectation that the VW scandal would lead to further revelations of emissions standards cheating throughout the auto industry.
When news of VW's scandal broke last fall, John German of the International Council for Clean Transportation (ICCT), a European-based NGO, asked, "Is this happening in other countries, and is this happening at other manufacturers?"
Some Mitsubishi executives appeared to have been in the dark about their company's widespread cheating.
"Ryugo Nakao, executive vice president, said Japanese regulations changed in 1991 to require testing methods to better reflect stop-and-go urban driving," Reuters writes, "but Mitsubishi Motors did not follow that rule change. 'We should have switched, but it turns out we didn't,' he said."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just hours away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
emissions standardsenvironmentjapanmitsubishinew york timespollutionpublic healthtransportationemissions
Following VW's smog-testing cheating scandal in September, Mitsubishi on Tuesday announced that its employees used outdated emissions testing methods outlawed in Japan on millions of vehicles sold since 1991.
The outdated methods violated Japanese regulatory standards and provided deceptively low emission measurement results. The environmental impact of Mitsubishi's decades-long deception is, as of yet, still undetermined.
The New York Times reports:
The automaker said it still did not know exactly how many models had been given exaggerated fuel ratings. But it said it now believed it had been using unapproved methods since 1991--a period that covers dozens of vehicle introductions and millions of cars and trucks.
Mitsubishi has been reviewing its tests since the revelations that it had cheated on ones for the mileage ratings of small-engine microcars that it sells in Japan and supplies to another Japanese automaker, Nissan, through a joint venture agreement. Nissan engineers discovered the discrepancy last year, the company said.
Last week, Mitsubishi said its cheating on fuel economy tests had affected 620,000 vehicles sold in the Japanese market since 2013.
Mitsubishi "said it had been submitting non-compliant data to Japan's transport ministry since 1991," Reuters reported, while the company "previously said such non-compliance went back only to at least 2002."
Mitsubishi's deception only applied to cars sold in Japan; the fuel tests Mitsubishi used were allowed by U.S. regulators.
"Tetsuro Aikawa, Mitsubishi Motors' president, said an inquiry led by three external lawyers had been opened," the BBC reported. "We don't know the whole picture, and we are trying to determine that. I feel a great responsibility," the news broadcaster quoted Aikawa as saying.
CNN Money reports that the revelation has cut the value of the automobile giant in half. "JPMorgan auto analyst Akira Kishimoto estimated the cheating could cost Mitsubishi more than 50 billion yen ($450 million), including payments to consumers, the cost of replacing parts, and compensation to Nissan," writes teleSUR.
Mitsubishi's admission confirmed observers' expectation that the VW scandal would lead to further revelations of emissions standards cheating throughout the auto industry.
When news of VW's scandal broke last fall, John German of the International Council for Clean Transportation (ICCT), a European-based NGO, asked, "Is this happening in other countries, and is this happening at other manufacturers?"
Some Mitsubishi executives appeared to have been in the dark about their company's widespread cheating.
"Ryugo Nakao, executive vice president, said Japanese regulations changed in 1991 to require testing methods to better reflect stop-and-go urban driving," Reuters writes, "but Mitsubishi Motors did not follow that rule change. 'We should have switched, but it turns out we didn't,' he said."
Following VW's smog-testing cheating scandal in September, Mitsubishi on Tuesday announced that its employees used outdated emissions testing methods outlawed in Japan on millions of vehicles sold since 1991.
The outdated methods violated Japanese regulatory standards and provided deceptively low emission measurement results. The environmental impact of Mitsubishi's decades-long deception is, as of yet, still undetermined.
The New York Times reports:
The automaker said it still did not know exactly how many models had been given exaggerated fuel ratings. But it said it now believed it had been using unapproved methods since 1991--a period that covers dozens of vehicle introductions and millions of cars and trucks.
Mitsubishi has been reviewing its tests since the revelations that it had cheated on ones for the mileage ratings of small-engine microcars that it sells in Japan and supplies to another Japanese automaker, Nissan, through a joint venture agreement. Nissan engineers discovered the discrepancy last year, the company said.
Last week, Mitsubishi said its cheating on fuel economy tests had affected 620,000 vehicles sold in the Japanese market since 2013.
Mitsubishi "said it had been submitting non-compliant data to Japan's transport ministry since 1991," Reuters reported, while the company "previously said such non-compliance went back only to at least 2002."
Mitsubishi's deception only applied to cars sold in Japan; the fuel tests Mitsubishi used were allowed by U.S. regulators.
"Tetsuro Aikawa, Mitsubishi Motors' president, said an inquiry led by three external lawyers had been opened," the BBC reported. "We don't know the whole picture, and we are trying to determine that. I feel a great responsibility," the news broadcaster quoted Aikawa as saying.
CNN Money reports that the revelation has cut the value of the automobile giant in half. "JPMorgan auto analyst Akira Kishimoto estimated the cheating could cost Mitsubishi more than 50 billion yen ($450 million), including payments to consumers, the cost of replacing parts, and compensation to Nissan," writes teleSUR.
Mitsubishi's admission confirmed observers' expectation that the VW scandal would lead to further revelations of emissions standards cheating throughout the auto industry.
When news of VW's scandal broke last fall, John German of the International Council for Clean Transportation (ICCT), a European-based NGO, asked, "Is this happening in other countries, and is this happening at other manufacturers?"
Some Mitsubishi executives appeared to have been in the dark about their company's widespread cheating.
"Ryugo Nakao, executive vice president, said Japanese regulations changed in 1991 to require testing methods to better reflect stop-and-go urban driving," Reuters writes, "but Mitsubishi Motors did not follow that rule change. 'We should have switched, but it turns out we didn't,' he said."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.