Toyota scandal
Hino Motors, a subsidiary of Toyota, has reached an agreement to pay $1.6 billion (£1.3 billion) and has admitted guilt in deceiving U.S. regulators regarding the emissions levels of its diesel engines.
As part of the settlement, the company will face a five-year prohibition on exporting its diesel engines to the United States.
This development follows Hino being charged with fraud in a Detroit court for the sale of 105,000 non-compliant engines in the U.S. from 2010 to 2022.
The settlement is pending approval from a U.S. court.
The U.S. Justice Department has stated that Hino provided "false and fraudulent" data concerning emissions testing and fuel consumption as part of a "criminal conspiracy" that enabled the company to import and sell its engines in the U.S.
FBI Director Christopher Wray remarked, "Hino Motors engaged in a years-long scheme to alter and fabricate emissions data in order to gain a competitive advantage and enhance their profits. To further this fraudulent scheme, Hino violated laws and regulations designed to protect the health of Americans and the environment."
In addition to the five-year ban on diesel engine imports, Hino has pledged to implement a compliance and ethics program during this timeframe.
Satoshi Ogiso, Hino's chief executive and president, stated, "We take this resolution seriously and will ensure that the field fix, the Environmental Mitigation Program, and further strengthening of our compliance system are implemented. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers and stakeholders."
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has announced that Hino has consented to recall certain heavy-duty trucks that are in violation of regulations and to replace marine and locomotive engines nationwide to mitigate excessive air emissions.
To address the financial implications of its legal challenges, Hino reported an extraordinary loss of 230 billion yen (£1.2 billion, $1.48 billion) in its second quarter financial results released in October.
Over the past ten years, numerous automotive manufacturers have acknowledged misleading information regarding the emissions generated by their diesel engines.
This situation has been referred to as the dieselgate scandal, which has implicated various brands within the Volkswagen group, including Audi, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, and Volkswagen itself.
Volkswagen has incurred costs exceeding 30 billion euros (£25 billion, $30.9 billion) in fines, recalls, and customer compensation.
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