Mitsubishi Motors, embroiled in a scandal over inflated fuel economy ratings for small cars sold in Japan, said today that an internal audit has found no testing problems with cars sold in the United States between model years 2013 and 2017.
“Our findings confirm that fuel economy testing data for these U.S. market vehicles is accurate and complies with established EPA procedures,” Don Swearingen, COO of Mitsubishi Motors North America, said in a letter to dealers.
Mitsubishi disclosed on Tuesday that it had used testing methods since 1991 that did not comply with Japanese fuel economy regulations. Its faulty testing methods affected the Mitsubishi eK minicar as well as the Nissan Dayz, which is built by Mitsubishi and sold to Nissan under contract.
"I'm taking this as a case that could affect our company's existence," Mitsubishi President Tetsuro Aikawa said during a press conference on Tuesday in Tokyo, according to Bloomberg. "My mission is to solve the issue."
In a statement Tuesday, the EPA said it has instructed Mitsubishi to conduct additional “coast down” tests for its vehicles. Regulators use these tests to factor rolling resistance and aerodynamics into fuel economy figures that are calculated while a vehicle sits stationary on a dynamometer machine.
