Hino axed from Japan commercial vehicle group amid emissions issue

Faced with more findings of falsified emissions data, Hino Motors now finds itself expelled from the very consortium it co-founded, more than a year after the partnership was announced. 

Hino gets booted out of the commercial vehicle alliance it formed with parent company Toyota

In a statement, Hino parent company Toyota announced that Hino has been dropped from the roster comprising Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation (CJPT). The alliance was formed in April 2021 by Toyota, Hino, and Isuzu to pursue research and development of carbon-neutral commercial vehicles. They were eventually joined by Suzuki and Daihatsu three months later. 

Toyota President Akio Toyoda explained that the charges of misconduct leveled against Hino are incompatible with CJPT’s objectives, warning that Hino’s continued participation will result in a backlash from customers and the general public. 

Toyota President Akio Toyoda has been vocal about his disappointment over the controversy

“Hino has committed misconduct in engine certification for a long period of time, and the company is in a situation where it is not to be recognized as one of the 5.5 million individuals in the Japanese automotive industry,” Toyoda said. “As of now, we believe that Hino’s participation will cause inconvenience to stakeholders, and we have decided that it is appropriate to expel Hino from CJPT.” 

In a separate statement, Hino recognized the gravity of the CJPT’s decision. “We will first acknowledge and reflect deeply upon the seriousness of the misconduct we have committed and its root causes, and correct what we should correct,” it said. 

“We need to return to our origins as a commercial vehicle manufacturer that helps people and goods get to where they need to go, and behave resolutely to become reborn as a company that is once again needed by society.”  

Hino says it needs to reassess itself as a company

As a result of Hino’s removal, Toyota says its subsidiary will not be included in joint planning and other agreements undertaken by the alliance.  

An internal committee formed by Hino uncovered evidence of emissions data falsification on its truck models dating back to 2003. This was compounded with a recent discovery made by Japan’s transport ministry that the misconduct extended to Hino’s small trucks, forcing the company to suspend 60 percent of its planned shipments for 2022.  

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