Hino admits to diesel emissions scam: Toyota-owned brand pulls models off sale in Japan as investigation reveals testing irregularities

The Hino Ranger truck has been withdrawn from sale in Japan along with two other models.

Commercial vehicle giant Hino has admitted to falsifying emissions test results for a number of its engines in three models for the Japanese market.

Hino, owned by Toyota Motor Corporation, made the confession last Friday, and on Monday the Japanese Ministry of Transportation raided the brand's headquarters in Tokyo. Japan Times.

The truck manufacturer said in a statement: "Hino has identified misconduct related to certification procedures for several engine models that are subject to the 2016 emissions regulations...and fuel economy standards in Japan, and found problems with engine performance."

The brand went on to say that it "profoundly apologizes for any inconvenience caused to its customers and other stakeholders."

Hino said it uncovered misconduct related to falsifying engine performance data during emissions testing of engines after expanding its investigation into its operations in North America.

In a statement, the company acknowledged the reasons for the data falsification and took responsibility for its actions.

“Based on the results to date, Hino believes that it has not been able to adequately respond to internal pressure to achieve certain goals and meet the schedules that have been set for Hino employees. Hino management takes these findings very seriously.”

Hino has suspended sales in Japan of models equipped with these engines. Among them are the Ranger medium-duty truck, the Profia heavy-duty truck and the S-elega heavy-duty bus. There are over 115,000 affected models on Japanese roads.

Hino has already taken steps to ensure this doesn't happen again, including improved management systems, organizational restructuring, review of internal processes, and ensuring that all employees are aware of compliance.

None of the models involved in the scandal are sold in Australia.

Hino shares fell 17% Japan Times, which is the maximum daily limit allowed by Tokyo Exchange rules.

Hino is not the first car manufacturer to be involved in emissions fraud. The Volkswagen Group famously admitted back in 2015 that it had changed diesel emissions tests on a range of models across the group's brands.

Mazda, Suzuki, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz have come under scrutiny in recent years for incorrect emissions tests.