Photo/Illutration Transport minister Tetsuo Saito announces the revocation of the “type designations” for three vehicles manufactured by Daihatsu Motor Co. at a news conference on Jan. 16. (Amane Shimazaki)

The transport ministry on Jan. 16 announced that it will revoke Daihatsu Motor Co.’s certification to manufacture three vehicles under the Road Transport Vehicles Law in the wake of a falsification testing scandal. 

The three light commercial models are the Daihatsu Gran Max, the Toyota Town Ace and the Mazda Bongo.

The Town Ace and the Bongo are supplied by Daihatsu under an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis.

The decision came after the egregious rigging of Daihatsu’s vehicle certification testing using fraudulent data came to light.

Based on the law, transport minister Tetsuo Saito said the ministry will issue a corrective order to Daihatsu President Soichiro Okudaira, demanding drastic improvement of the automaker’s organizational structure.

“This is a major issue concerning the credibility of the Japanese manufacturing industry,” Saito said at a news conference. 

If the type designation is revoked, mass production will not be possible until certification is granted again.

In December, Daihatsu publicly admitted to 174 cases of misconduct on safety tests for most vehicles currently in production along with some discontinued models. The company suspended shipments of all models, an unprecedented action.

The ministry conducted on-site inspections at Daihatsu’s head office in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, to confirm the facts.

In addition, the ministry is conducting safety confirmation tests on the 45 models in which irregularities have been identified.

Related News