Toyota Raize hybrid sales suspended due to safety test cheating scandal

According to Malaysian media, the results of a recent investigation showed that the Toyota Raize that cheated on safety tests was a vehicle developed, manufactured and tested by Daihatsu, and was made public by the investigation agency at the end of April 2023.

In addition to Toyota Raize, Daihatsu was also announced to be cheating in another small urban SUV, Daihatsu Rocky.

These two models share the same platform, with Daihatsu in charge of production and safety testing before distributing them to markets in the Southeast Asian region. However, the investigation has only recorded versions using hybrid transmission systems related to this incident.

A total of 78,440 vehicles are affected, 56,111 Raize hybrids and 22,329 Rocky hybrids. The investigation results do not include the Perodua Ativa hybrid - which also uses the same platform as the Raize hybrid and Rocky hybrid but is only distributed in Malaysia.

During an internal investigation, Daihatsu, the main manufacturer of the Raize, was found to have improperly conducted the UN-R135 test. The UN-R135 is a side impact test in which a cylindrical object is struck at a speed of 32 km/h from a distance of 254 mm into the body of the vehicle at an angle of 75 degrees. The test must be performed on both the left and right sides of the body.

However, Raize completed the test on the passenger side (left) in front of the regulatory agency. However, the results for the driver side (right) used the same data obtained from the left side.

Thus, the case of safety test fraud on Toyota models developed by Daihatsu... has so far involved a series of models including: Toyota Vios (Yaris Ativ), Toyota Wigo (also known as Daihatsu Agya), Perodua Axia and Toyota Raize, Daihatsu Rocky.

At the end of April 2023, Toyota acknowledged this incident and apologized to customers. Some Toyota Vios (Yaris Ativ), Toyota Wigo (also known as Daihatsu Agya) models have temporarily stopped distribution in some markets.

In Vietnam, Toyota Raize is only available in a single version using a 1.0L turbo engine, priced from 552-563 million VND depending on the color. Currently, the Raize hybrid versions have not been distributed to the market.

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/toyota-raize-hybrid-bi-ngung-ban-do-be-boi-gian-lan-thu-nghiem-an-toan-post248660.html