Nissan under investigation for using false emission data on tests

Shares in the car manufacturer Nissan have dropped by around 5% recently, after the news that the company has been falsifying their emission test data. The company have admitted to the accusations and a full investigation has now been launched. This follows a similar scandal from one of Nissan’s rivals, Volkswagen, which led to executives of the company being sentenced for rigging cars to evade emissions tests.

The latest scandal involving Nissan took place in one of their plants in Japan. Although so far there’s no evidence that the cheating of tests was anywhere near as widespread as it was with Volkswagen, the group have still released a statement outlining the misconduct that took place.

They say that evidence was uncovered that the exhaust emissions and fuel economy tests were not carried out correctly and that inspection reports were based on altered information. The results of the investigation have been reported to the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

According to the latest statement from Nissan: “This issue came to light during the course of voluntary checks conducted by Nissan. As a companywide exercise, Nissan will continue to carry out comprehensive checks of frameworks, organisations and processes related to regulatory compliance.”

“Strict adherence to compliance is a top priority for Nissan’s management, and if issues are discovered, appropriate measures will be taken. Nissan is committed to promoting and enforcing compliance and awareness thereof in all operational areas.”

They added: “Nissan understands and regrets the concern and inconvenience caused to stakeholders as a result of its kanken [final vehicle inspection process] issues last year. Proactive initiatives to prevent recurrence of such issues have led to the discovery of this misconduct, for which the company is regretful. A full and comprehensive investigation of the facts outlined above, including the causes and background of the misconduct, is underway.”