The era of exemplary automobile manufacturing in Japan is coming to an end. A series of scandals related to falsification at companies in the Land of the Rising Sun has continued with the Subaru brand. Recall that in 2017, Mitsubishi, Takata, and Kobe Steel suffered due to violations in vehicle testing on assembly lines.
Subaru in the crosshairs — who’s next?
It all started with auditors who, after examining the inspection procedures of finished vehicles, lost the logical chain and discovered that fuel consumption checks were not being performed because the company lacked the appropriate position. Additionally, the documentation contained signatures from employees not authorized to perform such operations.
Similarly, Mitsubishi Motors was caught with discrepancies; last year, it was sanctioned by the government and lost value in its securities, leading to its acquisition by Renault-Nissan. Interestingly, Nissan also raised concerns about electronic falsification in Mitsubishi vehicles. As for Subaru, the company Toyota was quick to report irregularities, as Subaru’s parent company manufactures the GT86 sports cars for Toyota.
Subaru President Yasuyuki Yoshinaga acknowledged the presence of violations at the company and promised to resolve the issue promptly. The official admission caused the brand’s shares to drop by 10% on the first day, and experts do not rule out that after government sanctions are imposed, the securities may decrease further. It remains to be seen whether this is a coincidence or a cunning plan related to the potential acquisition of the brand being sold.
