The revelation that Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has been manipulating the fuel efficiency data of its minicars raises doubts about whether the automaker ever fixed the corporate culture that in the past was responsible for the cover-up of extensive vehicle defects, which led to top executives being convicted over fatal accidents blamed on these defects. Coming on the heels of Volkswagen AG's emissions-cheating scandal, Mitsubishi Motors' action to falsify the performance of its vehicles is yet another case that breaches the trust of consumers in favor of narrow corporate interests.
The automaker's top executives said the division manager in charge is believed to have ordered falsification of the data to meet in-house fuel efficiency targets and denied that top management added pressure to commit the manipulation, although the firm will commission a panel of third-party experts to scrutinize how the decision to cheat was implemented. Mitsubishi Motors should find out whether the latest problem is a product of the company's old ways, which it had vowed to correct following the earlier scandals.
Mitsubishi Motors says it tampered with the tire rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag data it provided to the transport ministry for government tests to certify the fuel efficiency of its four minicar models in production since 2013, including those supplied to Nissan Motor Co. under its brand. As a result, the roughly 625,000 units of the four models — eK Wagon, eK Space, and Nissan's Dayz and Dayz Roox — were made to look 5 to 10 percent more fuel efficient than they would be in real-world driving conditions. Production and sales of the four models have been halted. Mitsubishi Motors is not expected to recall the vehicles in question because the problem doesn't affect their safety, although it reportedly may consider some form of compensation for their owners for the extra fuel costs or possible termination of tax credits accorded to the models for their supposed fuel efficiency.