Hino Motors as a Toyota subsidiary admitted guilt for an American emissions deception program across multiple years which led to USD 1.6 billion in penalties per the U.S. Justice Department. The plea from Japanese truck and engine manufacturer Hino Motors faced acceptance by U.S. District Court Judge Mark Goldsmith in Detroit which led to a USD 521.76 million fine coupled with five years of probation.
A court-imposed restriction binds Hino from shipping diesel engines produced by the company to enter the US market during the probationary period. Through its ruling the court issued Hino a USD 1.087 billion forfeiture money judgment.
Acting EPA enforcement chief Jeffrey Hall declared that firms which purposely evade American environmental laws along with data fabrication to misrepresent compliance should face punishment through criminal prosecution.
Both Toyota and Hino rejected media inquiry requests regarding this matter while Hino also failed to reply to interview requests.
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In a recent confession Hino revealed its employees had manipulated engine emission data starting from at least 2003. Reviews from Hino Motor Chairman Yasuji Ishimoto revealed that the company performed false applications for engine certification approvals and submitted incorrect emission test results while conducting untested data fabrication from 2010 to 2019.
EPA records show that as part of the settlement Hino will implement a USD 155 million air emission mitigation program through marine and locomotive engine replacements while also executing a USD 144.2 million engine replacement initiative to modify model year 2017 to 2019 heavy-duty trucks.
During his January announcement Hino President Satoshi Ogiso declared that the company advanced its internal culture alongside improved oversight functions and enhanced compliance practices. Hino generated an extraordinary loss of 230 billion yen (USD 1.54 billion) during the second quarter after deducing expected litigation costs.
Emissions fraud cases are emerging as a common issue for automobile manufacturers to face penalties regarding fraudulent emission practices. Volkswagen had to pay more than USD 20 billion in fines and settlements because it admitted to cheating emissions tests in 2015. This latest judgment against Hino underscores the U.S. government’s commitment to enforcing environmental regulations and holding companies accountable for fraudulent practices.