Marque halts car shipments

Daihatsu is suspending shipments of all car models currently being manufactured at home in Japan and abroad after revelations about its rigging of safety tests.

A statement issued by the company on December 20 says: “Daihatsu has decided to temporarily suspend shipments of all Daihatsu-developed models currently in production.”

The decision follows a report by an independent panel, which was set up earlier this year to probe a safety scandal that originally emerged in April 2023. The investigation “found new irregularities in 174 items within 25 test categories”. 

That’s in addition to wrongdoing already detected in April and May about door parts and side-collision tests, says Toyota, of which Daihatsu has been a wholly-owned subsidiary since 2016.

The number of car models linked to the matter now totals 64, including 22 sold by Toyota.

With certification being a “major prerequisite” for a carmaker to conduct business, “we recognise the extreme gravity” of Daihatsu’s neglect, which has “shaken the very foundations of the company as an automobile manufacturer”, adds Toyota.

Soichiro Okudaira, president of Daihatsu Motor, has apologised for the company suspending shipment of all models.

“We are truly sorry for betraying the trust of our customers,” he said at a press conference in Tokyo. “Our management is responsible for the issue. We take this very seriously and view it as an issue that shakes the foundations of our company as an automobile manufacturer”.

Toyota and Daihatsu say they are unaware at the moment of any accidents arising from the falsification. A “thorough technical verification” is under way.

It was in April 2013 that Toyota New Zealand announced its decision to discontinue sales of new Daihatsus in this country by the end of that year.

Steve Prangnell, who was general manager of sales and operations at the time, said it was “regretfully unable” to secure Daihatsu products that complied with future regulatory standards for New Zealand, but the decision would not disadvantage any customers who already owned Daihatsu vehicles.

He added: “We want to assure customers that we will honour our commitment to Daihatsu owners in New Zealand and they need not worry about ongoing support. Toyota dealers will continue to supply parts and provide comprehensive service support for those vehicles.”

Toyota NZ sent letters to Daihatsu owners advising them of the announcement. It took over the Daihatsu business in the Kiwi market in 2002.