Maruti Suzuki has asserted that the system of conducting vehicle mileage tests in India is distinct from the one in Japan. ``In India, all vehicles are tested for road load and emissions by Government-approved agencies such as Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) and Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (VRDE). As part of the emissions test, these agencies report fuel efficiency of vehicles as well. Based on these reports, Maruti Suzuki voluntarily declares fuel efficiency of its vehicles,’’ the company said in a statement.
The company’s assertion comes in the wake of its parent, Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor, accepting that it used an improper method to test the fuel efficiency of its vehicles. This has set off speculations that this could impact Suzuki's India operations as nearly half of its sales happen in India. Suzuki Motor, however, has claimed that “the issues do not apply to products sold under Suzuki badge outside Japan.”
Suzuki Motor reported the result of its investigation of the actual emissions and fuel efficiency tests to the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) on Wednesday.
``As the outcome of our internal investigation, acts of injustice, such as manipulation of fuel efficiency data, were not found,’’ Suzuki said. Nevertheless, it went on to admit that ``some discrepancies were found in the automobile emission and fuel efficiency testing process between the regulation by MLIT and the actual method carried out by Suzuki.’’ The Japanese company expressed its deep apologies to all its customers and stakeholders on this issue. Suzuki Motor Corp had used emission and fuel efficiency testing methods that were different from Japanese regulations on 16 models now sold in the country.
Recently, another Japanese automotive major, Mitsubishi Motors, pleaded guilty to having fudged the fuel efficiency data.
K.T. Jagannathan reports from Chennai
Maruti Suzuki asserted that the system of conducting vehicle mileage tests in India is distinct from those being done in Japan. “In India, all vehicles are tested for road load and emissions by government-approved agencies such as Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) and Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (VRDE). As part of the emissions test, these agencies report fuel efficiency of vehicles as well. Based on these reports, Maruti Suzuki voluntarily declares fuel efficiency of its vehicles,’’ according to a statement from the company.
The company’s assertion comes in the wake of its parent, Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor, accepting that it used an improper method to test the fuel efficiency of its vehicles. This has set off speculation that this could impact Suzuki’s India operations as nearly half of its sales happen in India. Suzuki Motor, however, has claimed that “the issues do not apply to products sold under Suzuki badge outside Japan.”
