On Monday, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda issued an apology for widespread cheating on certification tests for seven different car models, while the company also halted manufacturing of three of them.
The leading carmaker in Japan engaged in extensive flawed testing that included using old or insufficient data for collision tests, as well as inaccurate testing for airbag inflation and rear-seat damage in collisions. It was also discovered that engine power tests had been rigged.
The Corolla Fielder, Axio, and Yaris Cross are no longer being produced in Japan, according to Toyota Motor Corp., which is headquartered in Toyota City, Central Japan. Models that were withdrawn also had flawed tests.
The corporation stated that the misconduct had no bearing on the safety of the cars that are currently on the road, such as the Lexus luxury cars and the diminutive Corolla.
“At a press conference in Tokyo, we sincerely apologize,” Toyoda added with a deep bow.
In January, the Japanese government started looking into Toyota. Toyota’s overseas production is unrelated to the current issues.
On Monday, rival Japanese automaker Mazda Motor Corp. also revealed erroneous certification tests and decided to stop producing two of its vehicles, the Roadster and the Mazda 2. It claimed that the testing employed the wrong engine control software.
The Hiroshima, southwest-based Mazda also admitted to failing crash tests on three of its defunct models. The safety of the cars is unaffected by the infractions.
The Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co. also issued an apology late on Monday for conducting incorrect tests on several models, including the Accord, Odyssey, and Fit, whose affected earlier versions are no longer in production, including those on noise levels and torque. It stated that there is no impact on the vehicles’ safety.
Approximately two years ago, certification issues arose at Hino Motors, the truck manufacturer, Daihatsu Motor Co., the small-model specialist, and Toyota Industries Corp., the machinery and auto components manufacturer.
After the issues at the group firms, Toyota started investigating its tests, according to Shinji Miyamoto, an officer in charge of customer satisfaction at Toyota.
Laptops 1000For an automaker that has prided itself on manufacturing finesse and a corporate culture centered on empowering employees to develop “ever-better cars,” Toyota and its group companies’ testing methods seem to be unraveling, which is an embarrassment.
In an era when model variations were increasing, Toyoda said that the company might have shortened the testing out of a hasty desire to finish them.
Globally, Toyota sells over 10 million automobiles.
The founder’s grandson, Toyoda, said that some certification requirements can be unduly strict, pointing out that different countries have different requirements. But on numerous occasions, he insisted that he wasn’t condoning the violations.
We are not a perfect business. Toyoda stated, “But if we notice something wrong, we will stand back and keep trying to fix it.
