Mitsubishi admits fuel economy rigging

Mitsubishi has admitted to tampering with fuel-test figures of cars sold in Japan. This could now affect around 6,25,000 Mitsubishi-made cars, including vehicles produced for Nissan; the carmaker outsources production of some of its Kei cars to Mitsubishi which are sold in the Japanese domestic markets.

It is understood the issue only applies to four cars, only available in Asia. These are four superminis: the eK Wagon and eK Space that fall under the Mitsubishi brand, while the Dayz and Dayz Roox have been manufactured for Nissan. All four models are 'Kei' cars – models with small-capacity engines and compact dimensions which are extremely popular in Asia. Of the 6,25,000 affected, 4,68,000 units are Nissan models, while 1,57,000 are Mitsubishis.

Mitsubishi said it had "conducted testing improperly to present better fuel consumption rates than the actual rates; and that the testing method was also different from the one required by Japanese law". The carmaker added: "We express deep apologies to all of our customers and stakeholders for this issue."

The company has stopped production and sales of the cars affected, and has announced that it will conduct an investigation into the products manufactured for overseas markets. Mitsubishi UK is yet to comment on this news.

This admission from Mitsubishi follows VW’s emissions scandal which shook the automotive industry last year. This month, the German Federal Motor Transport Authority completed its testing of diesel vehicles and found that only Volkswagen Group diesel cars used the devices to manipulate emission figures.

In a statement issued Nissan said that it "recently became aware of discrepancies in data obtained from Mitsubishi concerning our Mitsubishi-sourced, Japanese-market kei-cars.”

The company has also confirmed that it has instructed dealers in Japan to stop sales of the affected vehicles, and said it is "working on solutions to support impacted owners.”