TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s Hino Motors, already under scrutiny for emissions data falsification for large trucks, has had similar problems for small trucks, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday.
The development is likely the result of the raid from the transportation ministry which found the number of inspections of engine performance to be inadequate, the Nikkei reported. Hino, a unit of Toyota Motor Corp’s, manufactures trucks and buses.
The Nikkei said among others, the Dutro may be one of the small trucks found to be problematic — that has been sold since 2019 and the total number of sales is roughly 76,000.
“If Hino Dutro shipments are halted, Hino Motors will have almost no more models to sell in Japan,” the paper said.
Hino Motors’ President Satoshi Ogiso will hold a news conference at 0405 GMT Monday.
An investigation report earlier this month by a company-commissioned panel said Hino had falsified emissions data on some engines going back to at least 2003, or more than a decade earlier than previously indicated.
Hino blamed an inward-looking corporate culture and a management failure to engage sufficiently with workers that led to an environment that put greater priority on achieving schedules and numerical targets than following processes.
The automaker also falsely reported to the transport ministry there were no improper incidents in emissions and fuel efficiency tests at the time of receiving certification in 2016, following the revelation of Mitsubishi Motors Corp’s mileage cheating scandal.
(Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Kim Coghill and Jacqueline Wong)
