The safety requirements that have prompted Toyota, Honda and other Japanese automakers to cheat certification tests may be too stringent and outdated given advances in car design and technology, fueling calls for their overhaul.
Despite revisions since the standards came into effect in 1951, the rules have not kept up with the times, Takaki Nakanishi, an analyst at Astris Advisory Japan, wrote in a report. While Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda apologized earlier this week for not taking the right steps, he also pointed out the gaps between the tests conducted in the field and the procedures required during the certification process.
When government officials raided Toyota’s headquarters on Tuesday, the automaker halted shipments of three cars: Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio and Yaris Cross. Still, the latest round contained no operational security warnings. According to Nakanishi, there appears to be no evidence of an “organizational cover-up” by the manufacturers.
