Close on heels to Mitsubishi admitting to have fudged the fuel-efficiency claims for some of its cars sold in Japan, Suzuki has also owned up to using improper fuel-efficiency testing methods. Suzuki’s 16 vehicles including the S-Cross, Swift, Wagon R and India-made Baleno have come under scrutiny for issues with improper fuel efficiency claims in Japan.
Discrepancies were found between the Suzuki’s emission and fuel-efficiency road testing methods with the procedures prescribed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan. Though improper procedures have been followed, the company however claims that it did not see a signification variation in comparison to the earlier figures and the values have reportedly remained within the range of measurement deviation.
As for Maruti Suzuki cars sold in India, they will not be affected as local norms give out fuel efficiency figures stated by the ARAI. The numbers are given out post laboratory tests as per Indian driving cycle and based on the test reports, the automaker voluntarily declares fuel efficiency of its vehicles. Speaking about it, Maruti Suzuki spokesperson commented, “The system of conducting vehicle mileage tests in India is distinct from the one in Japan. In India, all vehicles are tested for road load and emissions by government approved agencies like ARAI, icat and VRDE.”
