According to Nikkei Asia, Toyota Motor Corp’s truck and bus unit Hino Motors will halt production of some medium and heavy-duty trucks for at least another year following a widespread data falsification scandal.
The medium-duty Ranger and heavy-duty Profia trucks will not be produced until August 2023, according to the report.
The halting of production of some truck models is the latest indication that Hino’s scandal has worsened since it first announced the data falsification affecting some of its larger trucks in March.
Since then, it has admitted to falsifying data on some engines dating back to 2003, at least a decade earlier than previously stated. In total, approximately 640,000 vehicles have been affected, which is more than five times the initial figure.
Hino announced last month that it would suspend small truck shipments after a transport ministry investigation revealed that 76,000 of its small trucks sold since 2019 had not undergone the required number of engine tests.
Toyota and others involved in a commercial vehicle partnership have since expelled Hino from the group due to the truckmaker’s falsification of engine data.
The growing scandal at Hino Motors in Japan over engine data falsification has become a headache for parent Toyota, which owns a controlling 50.1% stake in Hino.
Hino became a subsidiary of Toyota in 2001, and nearly all Hino presidents have previously worked for Toyota.
Toyota did not respond immediately to a request for comment, and Hino could not be reached.
