TOKYO—Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has issued a public statement admitting to manipulating tire rolling resistance results in fuel economy testing to make its fuel economy performance better than it actually was.
Some 625,000 vehicles were involved in the rigged testing, which Mitsubishi said also was different in methodology from the tests required by Japanese law.
“During our internal investigation, we have found that the testing method which was different from the one required by Japanese law has been applied to other vehicles manufactured by MMC for the Japanese domestic market,” the auto maker said.
Four mini-car models comprised the 625,000 vehicles in question, MMC said. The 157,000 eK Wagon and eK Space vehicles were sold under the Mitsubishi name, and the 468,000 Days and Days Roox vehicles were supplied to Nissan Motors Corp. from June 2013 until the end of March 2016, it said.
Mitsubishi has stopped producing the four vehicles, and is in talks with Nissan discussing compensation to vehicle buyers, MMC said. The company also will conduct an investigation of fuel economy testing for vehicles manufactured for overseas markets, it said.