TOKYO: Daihatsu, the Japanese automaker under Toyota’s ownership, has halted all domestic production amid a significant safety testing controversy.
According to a spokesperson for Daihatsu, the company, which employs approximately 9,000 factory workers in Japan, shuttered its final four domestic plants, as reported to AFP on Tuesday.
“Production will be suspended through January. We have not been able to assess as to exactly when our domestic production can resume,” the spokesman said.
According to a private research firm, the action could impact over 8,000 companies nationwide.
The company disclosed last week that it had been tampering with safety tests since at least 1989, impacting 64 models, among them those marketed under the Toyota brand, which are currently under suspension.
In April, the company admitted to falsifying crash test outcomes for four of its models, involving a combined total of 88,000 vehicles manufactured in Thailand and Malaysia between 2022 and 2023.
In May, production in Japan of two hybrid vehicle models was halted due to similar “irregularities,” which included the Toyota Raize SUV produced on behalf of its parent company.
Established in 1907 with a focus on internal combustion engines, Osaka-based Daihatsu introduced its initial three-wheeled vehicle in 1931 before being acquired by Toyota in 1967.
