The EPA Wants Mitsubishi to Prove its U.S. Fuel Economy Ratings

Mitsubishi is the latest automaker embroiled in scandal—it admitted to cheating on fuel-economy tests in Japan, a confession made worse when a new report recently emerged that the automaker has been cheating since at least 1991. Until today, Mitsubishi has claimed that the fuel-economy issues are limited to Japan, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) are not taking Mitsu's word for it; they have asked the manufacturer to provide new test data for its cars, according to Automotive News.

Mitsubishi cheated Japanese testing by using coast-down test data from a “fuel-economy grade” eK Wagon—a minicar available in Asia—across various models, including those with thirsty turbochargers and heavy all-wheel drive systems. For those who don’t know, the coast-down test is a key part of fuel-economy testing as it calculates aerodynamic drag, drivetrain friction, and resistance in the chassis by coasting the vehicle from 80 mph to a complete stop. Without accurate coast-down data, the final fuel-economy rating can vary greatly from the actual mileage.

The EPA and CARB have both requested that Mitsubishi perform coast-down tests on all new vehicles sold in the U.S. and provide them with the data. In addition to this additional testing, CARB has requested “additional information” on all Mitsubishi vehicles sold in California. There is no mention of what this additional information may be.

We’ll continue to monitor the situation and bring you additional details as they become available.

Regardless of these potential issues, Mitsubishi still has plenty of deals available. For example, buyers can get 0 percent APR financing on the 2016 Outlander for up to 72 months or 0 percent APR and a $500 rebate. Also available is a $1,000 factory rebate, but this cannot be combined with the low APR deals.