Suzuki boss apologises for flawed economy tests

The CEO of Suzuki has apologised on behalf of the company for fuel efficiency tests that didn't comply with the testing procedure mandated by the Japanese government.

"The company apologises for the fact that we did not follow rules set by the country," Osamu Suzuki was reported saying in an article published by respected American journal, Automotive News.

Suzuki, a small player in the Australian market – and not represented at all as a car brand in the USA – is the fourth largest car company by sales volume in Japan. Somewhere in the vicinity of 2.1 million vehicles have been affected by this new fuel efficiency scandal, the company admits.

But the cars concerned were not sold outside Japan, Suzuki claims, and it was not the company's intention to deceive. Since 2010 the manufacturer has been using the wrong method to establish fuel economy numbers for up to 16 models. But retesting those cars using the correct method indicates little if any difference in the results.

For a coasting test, Suzuki used data compiled from individual datapoints for tyres, brakes and transmission in rolling-resistance tests, along with aerodynamic drag tests in a wind tunnel.

The company says that it used the compiled data – in a method that was not consistent with the coasting test procedure required by government regulation – because its test facility's location couldn't provide consistent and repeatable meteorological conditions for the testing. Located on the pinnacle of a hill and close to the sea, the Sagara proving ground is highly susceptible to changing weather patterns.

The fall-out from this latest admission is unlikely to hurt Suzuki's standing and brand reputation to the same extent as in the case of Mitsubishi, which announced last week that Nissan will take a 34 per cent stake after Mitsubishi confessed that it had cheated on its own fuel economy testing.

Mitsubishi's fall from grace has been swift, with MMC president Tetsuro Aikawa falling on his sword over the Japanese company’s fuel consumption scandal and telling reporters in Japan: “For causing trouble and worry first and foremost to our customers and to all involved, I take responsibility.”

The issue has also come at the expense of MMC quality and product strategy executive vice-president Ryugo Nakao, who headed the department responsible for the fuel tests.

This is in contrast with Volkswagen's dieselgate debacle, which is dragging on and threatens to cost the company billions after an American university uncovered its cheating software that can detect when a vehicle is being tested and accordingly reset the engine management system to run cleaner for the test.

Scrutiny of car companies making claims that cannot be substantiated by independent testing is becoming a global issue, with Europe holding the manufacturers to a higher standard.

In the USA, General Motors has just announced it will compensate 170,000 owners of large, crossover SUVs for fuel economy figures that were overstated. The vehicles at the centre of this row are the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave. One owner has already filed a lawsuit against GM.