An environment ministry official points to a device used by Nissan to fake emissions test.[Yonhap News Photo ]
Japan's Nissan Motor will be ordered to recall a compact diesel model of its vehicles sold in South Korea with a fine of 280,000 US dollars for manipulating emissions tests, South Korea's environment ministry said Monday.
Nissan was found to have faked emissions results for its Qashqai compact crossover by using a defeat device, the ministry said. Qashqai, produced by an alliance of Nissan and France's Renault, is equipped with Renault's 1.6-liter engine.
The Japanese maker will be ordered to recall 814 cars sold in South Korea from November to last week and suspend its sales, along with a fine of 330 million won ($280,000), the ministry said, adding it would ask prosecutors to investigate Nissan Korea chief Takehiko Kikuchi.
Nissan denied it has manipulated emissions results, arguing it has never used an illegal defeat device for any vehicles. The Japanese company controls 2.46 percent of imported cars in South Korea.
The environment ministry's move followed a probe into 20 models of diesel cars that came after the environment ministry accused German carmaker Volkswagen of faking emissions results for some of its diesel models.
Nissan has agreed to extend a $2.2 billion lifeline to its fellow Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi Motors battered by a scandal over falsified fuel-economy ratings. Nissan will become Mitsubishi's largest shareholder, buying a 34 percent stake.
Au News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com