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The licensing authorities in Japan have started the process of recalling the production licenses of three Daihatsu models, according to Nikkei Asia. Tetsuo Saito, Japan’s Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, said that the agency has begun the procedures to revoke and cancel the Certification of Quality, Technical Safety, and Environmental Protection of the three models produced by Daihatsu. |
As a result, the Toyota subsidiary will be prohibited from mass producing the Daihatsu Gran Max, Toyota Town Ace, and Mazda Bongo models until they are granted certification again.
In Japan, companies need to go through rigorous testing procedures before they can produce a new model to meet safety requirements and be granted certification for quality, technical safety, and environmental protection. In case the certification is revoked, the affected model will have to stop mass production and undergo a stringent retesting process.
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Daihatsu Gran Max is one of the three models that will have their production licenses revoked. Photo: Daihatsu. |
As for Toyota, the Japanese automaker will announce the restructuring steps for Daihatsu within the next month, according to Reuters.
“We are taking this matter very seriously,” said Koji Sato, CEO of the Toyota Motor Corporation, in an exchange with the press.
Sato revealed that the company will consider integrating Toyota’s business operations with Daihatsu as part of the restructuring effort, and also suggested the possibility of assigning its engineers to work for Daihatsu.
Another potential solution, according to Toyota’s CEO, is to change Daihatsu’s leadership structure.
Production at Daihatsu’s factories in Japan has been temporarily suspended since the end of December 2023. Earlier, an independent investigation committee found issues related to 64 models manufactured by Daihatsu, including several models sold under the Toyota brand.
In its statement to Reuters, Daihatsu representatives said that an official timeline for when the company can resume domestic production at its factories is not yet available.
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All of Daihatsu’s factories in Japan are currently indefinitely closed. Photo: Kyodo News. |
The Daihatsu safety scandal began in April 2023 when the company admitted to misconduct in conducting side impact safety tests for certain Daihatsu and Toyota models.
Reports at that time indicated that Daihatsu had tampered with safety tests on over 88,000 vehicles. Among them were approximately 76,000 Toyota Yaris Ativ models specifically for the Thai, Mexican, and Gulf countries markets, as well as about 11,800 Perodua Axia models manufactured in Malaysia.
By December 2023, the results of the independent investigation were announced, revealing additional irregularities in 174 points across 25 safety inspection categories conducted by Daihatsu. A total of 64 vehicle models, including 3 engines, were affected, including 22 vehicle models and one engine sold under the Toyota name.
In Toyota’s global statement related to the incident, a list of affected models featured several familiar names in the Vietnamese market, such as the Toyota Wigo, Toyota Avanza Premio, Toyota Veloz Cross, and Toyota Yaris Cross. However, Toyota Vietnam confirmed that only the Avanza Premio MT variant was affected.
Toyota Vietnam also promptly announced the temporary suspension of sales for the Avanza Premio MT until further information becomes available.
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