Toyota unit Hino to freeze truck production for two models for one year

Hino Motors, the truck and bus unit of Japan's Toyota Motor (NYSE:TM) Corp, will halt production of some medium- and heavy-duty trucks for at least another year following a widespread data falsification scandal, Nikkei Asia reported on Sunday.

The medium-duty Ranger and heavy-duty Profia truck will not be produced until August 2023, the report said. The discontinuation of some truck models is the latest sign of a worsening scandal for Hino since it first publicized data falsification affecting some of its larger trucks in March. Since then, Hino has said it falsified data on some engines going back to 2003, at least a decade earlier than originally stated. In total, about 640,000 vehicles have been affected, or more than five times the initial figure. Hino announced last month that it would suspend shipments of small trucks after an investigation by the Department of Transportation found that some 76,000 small trucks sold since 2019 had not undergone the required number of engine tests. Toyota and other companies involved in the commercial vehicle partnership had expelled Hino from the group on the grounds that the truck maker falsified engine data. The growing scandal over the falsification of engine data at Japan's Hino Motors continues to plague parent company Toyota, which owns a 50.1% stake in Hino. Hino became a subsidiary of Toyota in 2001 and since then almost all Hino presidents have previously worked for Toyota. Follow Global Economic Developments on Social Media! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Facebook account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Instagram account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Twitter account!