Subaru Corp already smarting from a vehicle evaluation scandal in Japan, stated it was now examining whether mileage readings may have also been falsified during final checks, leading its shares down around 8 percent.
Mileage readings, an indication of fuel performance, do not fall under safety requirements. However, any evidence of what would be a 2nd instance of misbehavior in as many months would taint the image of not just Subaru however also Japan’s manufacturing industry that has been rocked by a multitude of scandals recently.
Just in 2016, Mitsubishi Motors saw around 40 percent of its market price, or $3.2 billion, eliminated in 3 days after it confessed it had overstated the fuel economy of its mini-vehicles.
Subaru on Wednesday stated it was examining to see if any possible fabrication might have affected its main mileage readings and if any exported models may have been impacted.
“At the moment we are attempting to verify whether information was certainly fabricated, and if so, how this took place and which models are impacted,” Subaru spokesperson Miyuki Yasuda stated.
She included that any proof of falsified mileage figures, which reveal the number of kilometers a vehicle can take a travel on a liter of petrol, was not likely to lead to a recall as it would not make up a violation of safety requirements.
The mileage probe comes after Subaru’s revelation in October that uncertified staff had been for decades performing final examinations on new cars sold in the domestic market. The company recently promised to enhance oversight, however it did not point out any probe into mileage readings at the time.
