Suzuki Says Discrepancies Mar Japanese Emissions Testing

(Law 360) Suzuki Motor Corp. on Wednesday said an internal investigation prompted by regulatory scrutiny over emissions and fuel efficiency standards has shown “discrepancies” in the testing methods used for 16 car models sold in Japan.

Although the automaker said “acts of injustice” like intentional manipulation of fuel efficiency data did not turn up in the probe, the actual method of testing the cars for gas mileage has not been in line with standards set by Japanese regulatory authority, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure Transport and Tourism.

Specifically, Suzuki said in a Wednesday statement that the driving resistance required to calculate mileage for the cars was not properly measured, as an extrapolation based on other past data sets, including rolling resistance from brakes, transmissions and air resistance, was used in the calculations.

Suzuki’s disclosure comes about one month after fellow Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp. admitted to falsifying fuel efficiency data in four of its popular mini-cars, which it marketed as getting up to 71 miles per gallon.

Mitsubishi also announced Wednesday that its director and COO Tetsuro Aikawa and its executive vice president Ryugo Nakao will resign as of June 24 due to the scandal. READ MORE