Mitsubishi To Resume Sales Of Eight Models In Japan After Scandal

Mitsubishi, which had admitted to manipulating fuel-efficiency data in its vehicles in Japan earlier this year, is set to resume sales of some of its models. The Japanese automaker's manipulation affected over 6.25 lakh vehicles that included 12 models such as the Pajero and Outlander SUV. However, the company recently announced it is prepared to resume sales of eight models in its home country after correcting overstated efficiency readings.

After Mitsubishi's admission, the Japanese transport ministry's own mileage tests discovered the automaker had overstated mileage on its vehicles by up to 16 per cent. The ministry's investigation covered data on the carmaker's minicar models, tiny cars eligible for tax breaks in Japan. Out of the affected cars, 4,68,000 cars were sold under the Nissan brand, while 1,57,000 cars under the Mitsubishi brand. Interestingly, Keiichi Ishii, Japan's Transport Minister, had remarked back then that sales of Mitsubishi's vehicles could resume since the test results will not affect how the ministry classifies the vehicles.

The scandal then took a toll on Mitsubishi's market value, eventually leading it to solicit financial aid from Nissan that went on to buy a controlling 34 per cent stake for USD 2.2 billion.

Ever since Volkswagen's emissions scandal was discovered, several automakers have come under scrutiny for their respective emissions and fuel economy tests. In May, Suzuki also admitted to using improper methods to test fuel efficiency in 16 models from its current line-up were tested using methods that were not in line with official regulations. However, it had denied employing wrong methods to test fuel economy of its cars in Japan, adding that there is no universal method of calculating efficiency.