Vehicle production, shipments suspended after safety test scandal

Two of the five Japanese companies involved in the vehicle safety test scandals say they will suspend production of the affected models.

Toyota plans to stop producing its Corolla Fielder starting on Thursday, as well as two others at plants in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures. Toyota sold about 120,000 units of the models in Japan in the fiscal year ending in March.

Mazda is set to suspend production of its Roadster RF and another vehicle at plants in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures.

The two sold around 18,000 units in the year through March.

Meanwhile, Yamaha was found to have conducted noise tests on three types of motorcycles under inappropriate conditions. The company has suspended shipments of one model, the YZF-R1.

Concerns are rising about the impact these scandals will have on local economies and business partners.

In December last year, Toyota subsidiary Daihatsu Motor halted production after a safety scandal came to light, leaving thousands of suppliers in the lurch.

It was a major reason Japan's latest economic growth figures fell for the first time in two quarters.