Daihatsu to follow MLIT directive regarding irregularity issues

MANILA: Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. announced that it will follow the directive of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) with regards to the former’s “irregularity” issues. 

“We will continue to follow the instructions of the MLIT going forward,” Daihatsu said in a press statement. 

“Committing violations of relevant laws and regulations through procedural irregularities that must be recognized as making light of the certification process, despite being in a position of deep involvement in social infrastructure in the form of mini vehicles tailored to road conditions in Japan, is a circumstance that shakes very foundations of our company as an automobile manufacturer, and we recognize the extreme gravity of this situation. We have betrayed the trust of all our stakeholders including customers, and we would like to again convey our sincerest apologies for the great inconvenience that we have caused,” the Japanese automotive brand explained.

It is no secret that Toyota’s subsidiary was involved in a scandal regarding the certification testing of its vehicles.

Daihatsu, per MLIT, has used “improper methods in offset frontal collision tests conducted for application for Vehicle Type Approval. These methods include conducting tests using vehicles subject to the application by improperly modifying test vehicles, such as using a timer to deploy airbags that would normally deploy upon collision detection by a sensor.”

On that note, the MLIT is considering the revocation of Daihatsu’s Vehicle Application Approval for models namely the Daihatsu Gran Max, Toyota Town Ace, and Mazda Bongo.

Daihatsu then issued a statement saying it has no opinion about the facts that serve as the cause of the adverse dispositions expected to be imposed on the company, nor on other matters pertaining to the hearing.

Photo from Daihatsu

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