Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. restarted sales of Mitsubishi-produced minicar models on Friday after a 2½-month hiatus following the revelation of fuel-economy data manipulations for the vehicles.
Mitsubishi Motors began receiving orders for the eK Wagon and eK Space, with delivery beginning Tuesday, while Nissan resumed selling the Dayz and Dayz Roox, which are supplied by Mitsubishi Motors. Sales of the vehicles had been halted since April 20.
For the two automakers, minicars, which sport engines no larger than 660 cc and are a popular vehicle category among Japanese consumers for their relatively affordable prices, are their mainstay vehicle models in the domestic market.
Mitsubishi Motors submitted revised fuel economy data for its vehicles to the transport ministry on June 21 in a bid to restart sales as soon as possible. The revised data for the four models are up to 16 percent worse than those listed in their catalogs.
"Sales will be an uphill battle for us because of the misconduct," a senior official at a Mitsubishi Motors dealer said. "We will probably have no choice but to offer discounts."
For more than two months, minicar production at the automaker's Mizushima plant in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, has been suspended. The prolonged suspension has impacted the local economy, with plant workers forced to stay at home and a subcontractor going bankrupt.
Mitsubishi Motors Chairman Osamu Masuko apologized to Kurashiki Mayor Kaori Ito in a meeting on Friday, saying that the automaker will resume minicar production at the plant on Monday and intends to contribute to the local economy by regaining trust.
The chairman also met with Okayama Gov. Ryuta Ibaragi, telling him the automaker plans to manufacture new minicar and sport utility vehicle models at the Mizushima plant.