Hino Motor Sales Australia (HMSA) has suspended imports, orders and deliveries to local dealers of the models impacted by an engine emissions investigation.
In a brief statement released yesterday, the distributor of Hino vehicles in Australia said it was awaiting the outcome of Hino Motors engagement with the authorities in Japan.
A detailed report has identified misconduct in relation to Japanese emissions certification tests that have been relied on for the sale of a number of engine variants in Hino 500 Series Standard Cab FC, FD and FE medium-duty trucks and Hino Poncho buses sold in Australia.
The misconduct concerning engine certification does not affect the drivability of the affected vehicles and raises no vehicle safety concerns, stressed Hino, a subsidiary of Toyota.
“HMSA is committed to working with dealers and customers about these issues and engaging with the relevant authorities in Australia,” the statement added.
It is unclear how this announcement will impact Hino’s order books and sales, or how long the freeze will last. Big Rigs has approached HMSA for more comment.
The badge has been enjoying another big year in the medium-duty sector.
According to the latest Truck Industry Council figures, sales of Hino trucks in Australia account for 31.3 per cent of the medium-duty sector in 2022, bouyed by 172 units moved in July alone.
The Special Investigation Committee probe was commissioned by Hino in March 2022, following Hino identifying past misconduct in relation to its applications for certification concerning the emissions and fuel economy performance of its engine for the Japanese market.
In the 17-pages of investigation results released yesterday, Hino said it had notified the relevant ministries and agencies of the investigation results, together with the key measures that it plans to take.
“Hino considers that the background to this incident is its management’s failure to sufficiently engage with the frontline workforce, creating an environment and mechanism prioritising meeting schedules and numerical goals over due processes,” the statement said.
“Hino will implement comprehensive measures to ensure that these issues will never recur in the future. Hino will return to its fundamental principle as a commercial vehicle manufacturer and carry out company-wide rebuilding efforts to regain the trust of its stakeholders.
“Hino deeply apologises again for causing a significant inconvenience to its customers and other stakeholders.”