NAGOYA: Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it plans for now to suspend production of three vehicle models involved in certification irregularities from Thursday to June 28.

The leading Japanese automaker will decide later whether to continue the suspension in July and beyond as the transport ministry’s investigation into the type approval test fraud is going on.

Of the three models subject to the ministry’s shipment and sales suspension order, Toyota produces the Yaris Cross SUV at the Miyagi Ohira and Iwate plants in northeastern Japan, and the Corolla Fielder wagon and the Corolla Axio sedan at the Miyagi Ohira plant. The total annual output of the three models is about 130,000 units.

Mazda Motor Corp. decided to halt production of the Roadster RF convertible and the Mazda 2 subcompact from Thursday, after similar misconduct was found for the two models. Mazda makes some 15,000 units of them a year.

The company will decide when to resume the production after studying the ministry’s findings through its on-site inspection of the automaker set to be made soon.

Yamaha Motor Co. was also found to have falsified safety test data for the YZF-R1 to obtain type approval, necessary of mass production, for the motorcycle, whose shipping has been suspended since last month.

JIJI Press