TOKYO, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Toyota Motor Corp. has decided to continue the current production halt for three vehicle models affected by its testing irregularities until July or later.
Toyota decided to extend the production halt beyond the originally set deadline of June 28, as its internal investigation and a land ministry probe are still ongoing, the Japanese automaker said Friday.
The auto giant said it has not decided when to resume production, but the suspension will remain at least until July 31.
Toyota was found earlier this month to have falsified performance tests in order to obtain government certifications for its vehicles.
Following the order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to halt shipments of affected models, Toyota halted production of three models, including Yaris Cross, at its factories in the prefectures of Miyagi and Iwate.
The suspension came after the ministry disclosed that five major Japanese automakers, Toyota, Honda Motor, Mazda, Yamaha Motor and Suzuki Motor, have been implicated in illegal fraudulent practices during their mass production certification applications.
Transport ministry officials have already conducted on-site inspections at Toyota, Mazda, Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki over the misconduct. ■
