The brand, best known for making small passenger cars, has halted production at all four Japanese factories, including one at its Osaka headquarters, as of Tuesday, a spokesperson told CNN.
According to the representative, the closure will last at least until the end of January, affecting around 9,000 workers in the national manufacturing sector. It’s a deepening safety scandal that Toyota says has shaken the company’s fundamentals.
Last week, Daihatsu announced that an independent third-party panel had found evidence of safety test violations in as many as 64 vehicle models, including those sold under the Toyota brand.
As a result, Daihatsu said it will temporarily suspend all domestic and international vehicle shipments and consult with authorities on how to proceed.
The scandal is another blow to the automaker, which admitted in April to violating crash test standards on more than 88,000 cars sold mostly under the Toyota brand in countries including Malaysia and Thailand.
In May, the automaker revealed that it had submitted incorrect crash test data on two hybrid electric vehicles. The company said at the time that it had stopped shipping and selling those models.
The latest investigation further threatens the company’s reputation. According to a report published last Wednesday by the commission of inquiry, a further 174 cases were found in which Daihatsu manipulated data, made false statements or improperly assembled vehicles to pass safety certification tests.
2023-12-30 16:00:00
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