Hino Motors faked emissions data for 19 years — $1.6B fine and lost independence

In January 2025, Hino Motors pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Detroit to fraud charges for systematically falsifying emissions test data on heavy-duty diesel engines sold in the United States from 2010 through 2022. The company agreed to pay $1.6 billion in fines. A Toyota-commissioned investigation published in August 2022 found that the falsification dated back to at least October 2003 in Japan — a span of 19 years.

The fraud crossed multiple management tenures, with Hino's internal investigation blaming a corporate culture that prioritized meeting targets over compliance. Toyota and Isuzu expelled Hino from their Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies joint venture in August 2022. The scandal forced Hino into a merger with Mitsubishi Fuso under a new holding company, Archion, where Toyota and Daimler Truck each hold 25% and Hino lost its independence as a Toyota-controlled entity.

Hino's financial results were devastated. The company reported a net loss of ¥117.7 billion in fiscal 2023. It was forced to sell a third of its headquarters factory land. The fraud and subsequent restructuring effectively ended Hino's six-decade history as a standalone commercial vehicle manufacturer.