Hino in strife over fuel data falsification

Hino Motors has admitted that its executives have deliberately manipulated data prior to some of its engines being certified for use.

“We confirm that we manipulated gauge settings to show better fuel efficiency than the actual figures,” said Ogiso Satoshi, President of Hino Motors.

Hino’s share price dropped 15 per cent on Friday following the announcement.

Hino suspended the production of trucks for the US and Canadian markets in 2020 because some engines didn’t meet Government standards.

At that time, Hino said in a press statement that the production halt was being implemented following “challenges” in the required US engine certification testing process for new model years of the A09C, J08E, and J05E Hino diesel engines for North American truck models.

The current situation is believed to affect as many as about 115,000 vehicles, which is twice Hino's annual sales in Japan.

As for what this announcement will do to deliveries and stocks of Hino trucks in Australia, we don't know at this stage. However, we can assume that with our rather lax laws on emissions, it may not have much of an adverse effect.

Last year, Hino sold its largest ever volume of trucks in Australia with 6278 new vehicle deliveries, which accounted for an 18 per cent market share.

Trucksales contacted Hino Motor Sales Australia’s PR company for comment but we were told that they were still waiting for more information before releasing a statement.

We'll bring you updates as soon as they come to hand.

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