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Subaru linked with mileage cheating

Posted on 20 December, 2017

Subaru, still hurting from a vehicle inspection scandal, said it is now investigating the possibility that mileage readings may have been falsified during final checks. Mileage readings do not fall under safety requirements, however any proof of what would be a second instance of misconduct could taint the image of both Subaru and Japan’s manufacturing industry yet again. Last year a similar situation arose where Mitsubishi saw around 40 per cent of its market value, or $3.2 billion (NZ$4.6 billion), wiped out in three days after it admitted it had overstated the fuel economy of its mini-vehicles. Subaru on Wednesday said it was checking to see if any possible fabrication could have impacted its official mileage readings and if any exported models may have been affected.  “At the moment we are trying to confirm whether data was indeed fabricated, and if so, how this happened and which models are affected,” Subaru spokeswoman Miyuki Yasuda said. She added that any evidence of falsified mileage figures, which show the number of kilometres a vehicle can travel on a litre of petrol, was unlikely to result in a recall as it would not constitute a violation of safety requirements. This follows Subaru’s revelation in October that uncertified staff had been, for decades, carrying out final checks on new cars sold in the domestic market. The company this week vowed to improve oversight, but it did not mention any probe into mileage readings at the time. A series of scandals and failings by Japanese companies have surfaced in recent months, tarnishing the country’s reputation for quality control and prompting calls for better governance. In just the latter half of the year, Nissan Motors has admitted to incorrect final inspection procedures, Kobe Steel and Mitsubishi Materials Corp - all key suppliers of products to global manufacturers - have admitted to product data fabrication. Subaru’s shares have already fallen as much as 8 per cent to their lowest value since July 2016.