Japan officials raid Suzuki HQ over fuel-testing scandal

TOKYO: Japan’s transport ministry raided small-car maker Suzuki’s headquarters Friday in the wake of its shock admission that it used improper fuel-testing methods for years, affecting millions of cars.

Officials descended on the company’s base in Hamamatsu city, around 250 kilometres (155 miles) southwest of Tokyo, saying they were hunting for documents linked to the under-fire emissions and fueleconomy testing.

“We are raiding Suzuki’s headquarters to confirm the information that the company supplied” to the ministry, an official in charge of automotive safety told AFP.

The agency also raided the office of rival Mitsubishi Motors after its shock revelation in April that it had cheated on fuel-efficiency tests for decades.

Suzuki, which was for years led by its 86-year-old chairman Osamu Suzuki -- a direct descendant of the company’s founding family – has admitted to using a testing method not approved by Japanese regulators.

But it has repeatedly insisted it had not meant to deceive drivers.

The company said in a statement it will ‘fully cooperate’ with the transport ministry, but declined to speculate on what sort of financial penalties it could face.

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” a company spokesman told AFP.

Instead, the company claimed this week the problem was linked to scaling back resources earmarked for testing in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers, which set off the world financial crisis. — AFP