Hino Motors Ltd, a Japanese commercial vehicle maker owned by Toyota has come under fire as it has reportedly been falsifying emissions data since at least 2003.
Reuters reported that a company-commissioned probe found the information after Hino admitted to lying about the emissions data for four of its engines.
Originally, Hino said the data had only been altered since 2016. That was until an internal investigation uncovered that it had stretched back around 20 years.
Upon investigation, Hino blamed the falsification on a working environment where engineers felt they could not challenge their superiors as a result of the corporate culture in Japan. It also says executives outside of the powertrain division were not aware of the situation.
The company says it prioritised development schedules and fuel efficiency over quality, compliance and talent development since the early 2000s.
Satoshi Ogiso, president of Hino, issued a public apology and said he received a message from Toyota president Akio Toyoda saying the scandal has betrayed the trust of its stakeholders.
The impact of these findings has already been felt by Toyota with Hino shares falling almost 10 per cent this week. Toyota owns 50.1 per cent of the truck maker.
As a result of the scandal, Hino says it will come up with a new internal governance system in the next few months.
