Cypress-based Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. said the fuel economy data for its 2013 to 2017 models sold in the U.S. is accurate and unaffected by the testing irregularities its Japan-based parent revealed late last month.
The statement followed the Environmental Protection Agency’s request to Mitsubishi Motors Corp. in Tokyo to submit additional information regarding its vehicles sold in the U.S. after the automaker said it used a testing procedure that “provided more advantageous fuel consumption rates than the actual rates” for several vehicle models sold in Japan.
Mitsubishi since 1991 relied on a “high-speed coasting test” instead of the “coasting test required by the applicable laws and regulations in Japan,” the company said in a statement. About 157,000 “eK Wagon” and “eK Space” vehicles are affected, as well as 468,000 “Dayz” and “Dayz Roox” models that Mitsubishi made for Nissan Motors Corp. since June 2013.
“In the process of the development for the next generation of mini-car products, [Nissan] examined the fuel consumption rates of the applicable cars for [Nissan’s] reference and found deviations in the figures,” Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said.
The EPA said it will direct the company to “conduct additional coast down testing for vehicles sold in the U.S.”
—Mediha DiMartino
