Suzuki Motor Corp. said Wednesday that it has employed a method different from the state-set format in collecting travel resistance data used for fuel economy tests for all 16 vehicle models it currently sells.
The automaker reported the matter to the transport ministry the same day. The 16 models include its mainstay Wagon R and Alto minivehicles, with the number of affected vehicles totaling about 2.1 million.
But the firm said that no manipulations were made to disguise fuel economy and that the collected data were within the range of error, adding that there is no need to correct the fuel economy figures for the vehicles models in question. The company will continue production and sales of all of the vehicle models, it said.
The violation of the state-set rules came as the automaker faced difficulties in testing vehicles, the company said, noting that its test course, located on a hill close to the sea, is substantially affected by wind.
“We deeply apologize for not using the designated method,” Suzuki Motor Chairman Osamu Suzuki told a press conference. “There are no problems in the fuel economy figures indicated for our vehicles,” he added.Speech(Jiji Press)
Link: http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002955737
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