CARS.COM - As Mitsubishi faces scrutiny from both the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on its fuel-economy numbers, the automaker defended its gas-mileage numbers today, saying an internal audit of its 2013-2017 model-year vehicles sold in the U.S. revealed none of the issues that affect international vehicles.
Related: Report: EPA Orders More Tests of Mitsubishi Cars
In a statement issued to Cars.com today, Mitsubishi said its "findings confirm that fuel economy testing data for these U.S. market vehicles is accurate and complies with established EPA procedures."
Mitsubishi has confirmed "irregularities concerning fuel consumption testing data" for some 625,000 minicars sold worldwide. The automaker told us April 20 that it wasn't aware of any affected U.S. cars, but regulators have asked for more information.
NHTSA requested additional information, a spokesman confirmed today. The EPA and California Air Resources Board also have ordered Mitsubishi to provide information on its U.S. vehicles, as well as conduct more "coast-down" testing for its U.S. cars, EPA spokeswoman Laura Allen told Cars.com.
As for the coast-down testing, Mitsubishi is in the process of acquiring that data, which spokesman Alex Fedorak said corresponds to how the EPA gets its "road load" measurements.
"An entirely different system is used for the United States market to determine what the EPA calls Road Load Coefficient, strictly adhering to EPA procedures," the automaker said in the statement. "The data generated is then independently verified for its accuracy before being submitted to the EPA for their fuel economy testing."
Mitsubishi has shared this information with regulators, including the Department of Transportation, which is NHTSA's parent organization.
Mitsubishi said it's assigned a committee of external experts to investigate the issue. The automaker said it would share the results once the investigation is complete.
No comments:
Post a Comment