Il Messaggiere - Toyota arm Hino makes deal to settle emission fraud case

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Toyota arm Hino makes deal to settle emission fraud case
Toyota arm Hino makes deal to settle emission fraud case / Photo: Richard A. Brooks - AFP

Toyota arm Hino makes deal to settle emission fraud case

US officials late Wednesday announced a $1.6 billion deal with Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors to settle charges it deceived regulators about the amount of emissions spewed by its diesel engines.

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Hino used altered emissions test data to get approval to import and sell more than 110,000 diesel engines to the US, most of which were installed in heavy-duty trucks made by Hino, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

As part of the deal, Hino will plead guilty to engaging in a criminal conspiracy to mislead regulators and consumers, violating environmental protection laws and endangering public health, US attorney general Merrick Garland said in a release.

US regulators and the state of California, which has strict vehicle emission standards, worked out criminal and civil remedies with Hino valued at more than $1.6 billion.

"Hino's actions directly undermined EPA's program to protect the public from air pollution," acting EPA administrator Jane Nishida said in a release.

The proposed settlement is contingent on approval from a US district court judge in the state of Michigan.

"Corporate crimes such as these endanger the health and well-being of innocent Americans, as well as the environment in which we all live," said US attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Dawn Ison.

The deal includes a five-year term of probation during which Hino will be barred from importing diesel engines it has manufactured into the United States and implement a comprehensive compliance and ethics program, according to the EPA.

Hino will also have to recall some trucks with engines violating emissions standards and spend some $155 million to replace marine and locomotive engines through the US to offset excess air emissions, according to the EPA.

M.Fierro--IM