Japanese auto giant Toyota Motor sold 11.23 million vehicles worldwide last year, a record high for four consecutive years. However, the company, which sits on the throne of the world's No. 1, has also been exposed to a scandal involving fraudulent engine certifications. To this end, Japan's Ministry of Transport has intervened in the investigation and ordered the suspension of shipments of 10 of its models.
Japanese media reported that Toyota's international sales this year hit a new high, including subsidiaries Daihatsu and Hino Motors, the group's global car sales increased by 7% year-on-year last year2%, up to 11,233,039 units.
Toyota has always been the golden sign of Japan's automobile manufacturing industry, but recent technology scandals have attracted attention.
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda apologized on Tuesday (January 30) for a series of counterfeiting scandals, saying, "It is an extremely serious matter to commit fraud in terms of certification and provide customers with products that should not be **, and betray the trust of customers." ”
"Selling first is not the goal, the company must put safety and quality first, strive to build better cars, and ensure that Toyota is on the right track on the path of technological innovation," he said. ”
The Ministry of Transportation on Tuesday conducted a thorough inspection of Toyota's plant in Binan City, Aichi Prefecture. It pointed out that Toyota's forklift engines have violated laws and regulations, and it has announced that it has suspended the shipment of 10 models, including the Land Cruiser and Hiace, which are popular with the general public.
NHK reported that Toyota's counterfeiting was carried out in March 2023. The company has set up a special investigation committee to investigate, but not only has it not improved, and recently found that there were irregularities in the exhaust test data of seven engines, including forklifts and construction machinery. In addition, three outsourced car engines also had data falsification in output tests.
In response to a series of fraud incidents within the Toyota Group, Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito said, "This is an act that undermines trust and shakes the foundation of the automobile certification system. We will confirm the facts and take stern action based on the results of the investigation. We also recognize that this is a major issue of corporate governance. ”
Admits that the engine test data is falsified, but says the technology is okay and there is no need for a recall
A day before the Ministry of Transportation intervened in the investigation, Toyota Group had admitted that the exhaust emission test data of four engines produced by its subsidiaries had been falsified, but it stressed that this did not mean that there was a technical problem and that there was no need to recall the vehicles.
The Mainichi Shimbun reported that the incident was related to the company's long-standing sloppiness in handling data and repeated mistakes. In 2022, Hino models were found to have falsified exhaust gas and fuel data, and almost all models were recalled.