Nissan admits to falsifying emissions data in Japan
Japanese manufacturer owns up to falsifying emissions data on vehicles made in its homeland
Nissan has admitted to falsifying emissions data on cars made in Japan but insists that all vehicles — bar the GT-R — fully comply with safety regulations in its homeland.
The firm did not confirm which, or how many, cars were affected by the voluntary investigation.
It also claims that all fuel economy figures claimed are accurate following re-verification of its data as part of the investigation carried out by Japanese law firm Nishimura and Asahi.
The majority of Nissan’s cars sold in the UK are made elsewhere — with the Leaf and Qashqai made in Sunderland — so it’s unlikely that any cars making their way to Britain, except for the 370Z and GT-R, will be involved in this.
These inaccuracies were discovered as part of the ongoing compliance checks at Nissan’s domestic plants after “nonconformities in the final vehicle inspection process” were discovered in September 2017.
The issues were found in safety and emissions tests, which are necessary for cars in Nissan’s home country, under the Japanese Emissions Standards. To be compliant on the roads every car is given its own certificate to prove it has met these standards.
In a statement, the company said: “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, organizations 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.”
However, Nissan has yet to explain why the GT-R doesn’t fully comply with Japanese safety regulations, although it’s likely to be exempt from testing as a low-volume production vehicle.
The Japanese firm isn’t the first to admit to falsifying emissions data, with Volkswagen in 2015 found to have fitted emissions cheating devices to diesel vehicles in order to circumvent US regulations.
