Mitsubishi Has Been Rigging Emissions Tests Since 1991

Last week’s revelations about Mitsubishi’s emissions test cheating activities already looked serious, with over 600,000 cars affected and $1.2 billion wiped off the company’s value as a result, but it turns out the scandal goes much deeper than that. Mitsubishi vice president Ryugo Nakao admitted today that the company’s “improper testing” - which gave more favourable results for its vehicles - has been going on for around 25 years.

At a press conference in Tokyo he said: “for the domestic market, we have been using that method since 1991…But we don’t know the number of models.” The news gave Mitsubishi’s share price another kicking, with a further 10 per cent drop bringing the total loss to 50 per cent.

Previously, it was thought that only four models - all sold for the Asian market - were affected: the Mitsubishi eK Wagon and eK Space, plus the Dayz and Dayz Roox, which are both manufactured for Nissan. It was actually Nissan which discovered and reported the emissions discrepancy.

It’s currently unclear what the repercussions might be for Mitsubishi, other than the painful drop in the company’s value.