Daihatsu Motor on Tuesday resumed production at its plant in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, after suspending operations from late December last year due to the safety test cheating scandal.
All four completed Daihatsu car assembly plants in Japan are back online for the first time in about four months. The Toyota Motor subsidiary will accelerate the delayed delivery of vehicles for which it has received orders, as well as the improvement of existing models and the development of new models.
In February, Daihatsu, headquartered in Ikeda, began resuming production in phases for models confirmed as safe by the Ministry of Transport.
At the Ikeda plant, the company will produce the Copen mini vehicle and an eponymous model for Toyota.
“We have been causing inconvenience to a very large number of people for a long time,” said a male employee at Daihatsu headquarters on Tuesday morning. “While we are still working to rebuild trust, I think we have taken a step forward.”
A Daihatsu public relations official said the company will take thorough measures to prevent a recurrence.
Even after operations resume at all its domestic plants, Daihatsu’s production is expected to be less than 80% of fiscal 2022 levels before the company’s safety testing irregularities were revealed, partly due of delays in the introduction of new models.
After the scandal came to light, Daihatsu took preventative measures, including extending product development periods and increasing safety testing staff.
In an interview in late April, Daihatsu President Masahiro Inoue said that by definitely implementing the preventive measures, the company aims to resume the development of new vehicle models within this year.
