Mitsubishi Motors has admitted falsifying fuel economy tests on at least 625,000 of its small cars, including some vehicles built for Nissan, Euronews reports.
Reports state that the company deliberately modified testing data to show better fuel consumption rates for four of its mini-car models sold in Japan, and has halted production and sales of those models.
The country’s sixth-largest car-maker by market value says its vehicles failed a fuel economy test, sending shares down more than 15 percent and wiping USD 1.2 billion (EUR 1.05 billion) from its market value on Wednesday.
“Our vehicles were found to have failed part of a fuel economy test,” a spokesman said. The company says an internal panel has been set up to investigate the affair.
The problem is said to have been uncovered by Mitsubishi itself during an internal investigation after Nissan highlighted inconsistencies in emissions data.
According to national broadcaster NHK, the issue affected around 600,000 mini-vehicles produced under the Mitsubishi brand, mainly in Japan, including the eK model, as well as a model it produces for Nissan Motor. Mitsubishi Motors sold just over one million cars last year.
The announcement – the first time a Japanese car-maker has reported misconduct fuel economy tests in the wake of the Volkswagen scandal – comes as the car industry is facing tougher controls, following last year’s events when Volkswagen was found to have cheated diesel emissions tests in the United States and elsewhere.