Perodua on Daihatsu safety scandal: Give us time to sort out the matter

PETALING JAYA: Perodua says it will announce the outcome of talks with Malaysian authorities following news today from Japan about a growing Daihatsu safety scandal.

"We are doing a detailed assessment on the matter and are currently in discussion with Malaysian authorities as to the impact of this development to our vehicles," said Perodua president and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Ahmad.

"We will share the outcome of this discussion with the public in due course."

Daihatsu's parent company Toyota said today Daihatsu would suspend shipments of all models currently in production, both in Japan and overseas following a probe that found issues at 64 models, including almost two dozen sold under Toyota's brand.

Reuters reported today that an independent panel has been investigating Daihatsu after it said in April it had rigged side-collision safety tests carried out for 88,000 small cars, most of those sold as Toyotas.

At press time, it is not known how the scandal will affect the production and sales of Toyota and Perodua vehicles in Malaysia. Daihatsu is a Perodua shareholder and technological partner.

The bombshell news from Daihatsu appears to indicate the scandal could be far worst than previously expected.