Mitsubishi Fudged Japanese Mileage Data Since 1991

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Mitsubishi’s fuel economy scandal blew up yesterday after the automaker admitted it has issued misleading mileage data since C+C Music Factory was at the top of the charts.

The scandal that started with inflated mileage numbers on a single minicar one week ago now extends to all Japanese market Mitsubishi vehicles sold over the past quarter century. Reuters is reporting that the automaker compiled fuel economy data using U.S. standards, rather than the Japanese standards that factor in much more city driving.

That data was then sent to the Japanese Transport Minister to become official. Using the U.S. standard leads to a higher mileage figure, and it’s easy to see how this would be appealing to a competitive automaker.

The ballooning scandal wiped out half of the company’s market value in just over a week, with shares dropping from 864 Japanese Yen on April 19 to 434 JPY earlier today.

In a Tuesday press conference, Mitsubishi Motors president Tetsuro Aikawa denied knowing of the misleading data, Bloomberg reports.

“Customers bought our cars based on incorrect fuel-economy data,” Aikawa told the media. “I can’t help but apologize.”

In response to the crisis threatening the company’s very existence, Mitsubishi set up a special investigations committee made up of outside investigators. The investigators will probe the issue for three months before returning with a report.

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi faces the growing likelihood it will have to pay severe fines.

While the scandal seems to only concern models sold on the other side of the Pacific, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requested fuel economy data on U.S. models late last week.

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

More by Steph Willems

Comments
Join the conversation
8 of 29 comments
  • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on Apr 26, 2016

    "In response to the crisis threatening the company’s very existence..." This would be bigger news here if Mitsubishi was a relevant player in the US.

  • MazdaThreeve MazdaThreeve on Apr 26, 2016

    From the company that was once caught stuffing customers' complaints into a locker? Shocked, I tells ya. Hard to believe this is the same company that once produced what was widely regarded as the best fighter airplane in the world in its year of release.

    • See 2 previous
    • CPTG CPTG on Apr 26, 2016

      @06V66speed Not to burst yer bubble, but you are woefully ignorant on yer history. Yes, the Mitsubishi Zero was a state of the art naval fighter in 1940 which made mince meat of Americas best in 1940 the mighty Curtis P36 and B18 Bolo!!! But, like an American car of the mid 1970s, Mitsubitshi kept cranking out their obsolete 940hp fighter against superior American fighters like the 2000hp CorsairF4U. Although Volkswagen paid its slave laborers after the war, Mitsubishi did not which is why my CSM refused to have anything to do with the three red diamonds because his father booked an all expenses paid cruise ship (Hell Ship) from the PI to Mitsubishi's mines in Japan. And who caused Mitsubishi to legally not pay? The God known as Douglas M. [Japan paid $5million to absolve itself of all war crimes]. But that was then and this is now. Ya gotta move on. Hey, I've forgiven the Kaiser for WWI but not the Canadians for TWICE throwing Us out of their country like a bar tender would the town drunkard (1775 & 1812-4). We wanted to give EVERY Canadian their God Given right to own slaves and look how they treated us?!!! Some People!!!

  • CPTG CPTG on Apr 26, 2016

    First the Volkswagen cheating Scandle, NOW it's Mitsubishi and their Fudge Factoring?!!! That does it, my Next car will be AMERICAN. Come on, America---Lets all BUY a GM car and make THE SWITCH. Uhhh, wait a minute...

    • Corey Lewis Corey Lewis on Apr 26, 2016

      There seems to be some problem with whatever translation program you're using.

  • ExPatBrit ExPatBrit on Apr 26, 2016

    Driving a Mitsubishi or Suzuki during a TV show marks the character as being a ne'er-do-well or loser. Doesn't matter how new or nice it is, the cars are typecast in that role. In Better call Saul which just finished season 2, the law partners drive leased Mercedes whilst the lead actress Kim who did not make partner drives an Eclipse. Jimmy gives up his Benz when he quits and resumes driving his Suzuki.

Next