Daihatsu to spend 40% more time on vehicle development | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Soichiro Okudaira, right, president of Daihatsu Motor Co., submits a package of measures designed to prevent a recurrence of cheating practices to transport minister Tetsuo Saito on Feb. 9. (Eishi Kado)
Embattled automaker Daihatsu Motor Co. vowed to spend 40 percent more time on vehicle development and increase testing personnel seven-fold as part of measures to root out cheating on government certification testing, which it did for decades.
“We want to rebuild Daihatsu as a company that can do things the right way,” Okudaira said Feb. 9 after he submitted the report.
An investigation report issued Dec. 20 by a third-party panel formed by Daihatsu cited pressure stemming from “excessively tight and rigid” development schedules and staff cutbacks in a certification division as factors behind the fraudulent practices.
In response, Daihatsu said it plans to extend the standard vehicle development schedule by 40 percent and increase personnel responsible for certification testing seven-fold by around June, compared with January 2023.
