Mitsubishi Motors Admits Engineers Manipulated Fuel-Economy Tests, Could This Have Contributed To Air Pollution?

Automotive manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors has admitted to cheating on the fuel-economy tests of the minicars introduced in Japan three years ago. High-ranking officials have apologized for the manipulation.

Mitsubshi Cheats On Tests

The New York Times reported that the company has confirmed the manipulated evaluations done by its engineers on the 620,000 ultrafast cars sold in Japan. Mitsubishi president Tetsuro Aikawa also revealed that the same testing method was utilized for the other models of the company.

"It has become clear that improper testing methods were used to improve the appearance of fuel efficiency," Mr. Aikawa explained. He also said that that the testing process did not follow standards in the country set in 2002.

Reason Behind The Move

According to Sydney Morning Herald, Mitsubishi was financially hurt by the issue, which came more than 10 years after it had bailout done when defects were found on some of its models. "Since the cover-up of recalls in the 2000s, we have tried to reinforce compliance within the company, but a compliance sense still hasn't penetrated to every employee," Aikawa said tagging the recent incident as shameful.

Because of the cheating issue, the shares of Mitsubishi Motors reportedly fell by as much as 15 percent, which is considered to be its biggest decline in about a decade. Automaker analyst Michelle Krebs told Sydney Morning Herald that this has also affected the credibility of the company.

"This has left a cloud over the auto industry that suggests it isn't honest," Michelle Krebs said. "It leads consumers and regulators to be suspicious."

Fuel Efficiency And Air Pollution

Aside from these concerns, the manipulation of fuel-economy tests could also potentially aid to the worsening air pollution problem brought by traffic. Parent Herald reported that pollution caused by emissions from cars and factories increases cases of premature births in the United States.

BrokenSidewalk said that three percent of the premature births for 2010 was blamed to pollution. This has also brought a total medical cost of $760 milion for the country.