Jaguar says it exaggerated fuel efficiency

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Jaguar says it exaggerated fuel efficiency

Jaguar Land Rover Korea, the local importer and distributor of the high-end British car brand, admitted Thursday to exaggerating the fuel efficiency of one of its Jaguar vehicles and announced a compensation plan with a maximum 700,000 won ($620) for each car owner.

The company separated itself from the Audi Volkswagen case, arguing that its vehicles did not contain any emissions rigging software.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Thursday that the fuel efficiency advertised by Jaguar’s luxury XF 2.2D diesel sedan was 7.2 percent short of the actual performance tested by the government.

Nearly 1,200 units of the model in question were manufactured between April 15, 2014, and June 8, 2015.

Jaguar Land Rover Korea said Thursday that it felt a “moral responsibility” to compensate car owners for the exaggerated figures. The automaker also said it would have official dealers contact car owners individually about the compensation plan.

In addition to the payouts, Jaguar Land Rover Korea will face a fine of up to 1 billion won.

The ministry on Thursday also issued penalties on four other automakers.

Ssangyong Motor, the Korean unit of Mahindra & Mahindra, was found by the ministry to have equipped its Korando C SUV with seatbelts that were too loose to keep passengers safe from car accidents.

The ministry had Ssangyong Motor recall some 2,600 units of the problematic vehicles that were manufactured between March 30, 2015, and May 26, 2015.

Korean truck manufacturer Tata Daewoo also came under fire for loose seat belts in its 19-ton Prima Cargo Truck and faces a fine.

Motorcycle manufacturer Motorstar Korea will have to recall more than 100,000 of its two-wheel GTS 125 that were sold in Korea because the lighting installation did not meet safety standards. The manufacturer also faces a fine.

Hanbul Motors, which imports French car brand Peugeot, will also have to recall over 4,500 units of its Peugeot 3008 model because its bumper absorbance did not meet government standards. The recall plan will be implemented in the latter half of this year.

The ministry’s announcement comes after it conducted a series of safety inspections on 16 domestic and foreign models for which safety test reports were submitted by either the manufacturer or importer.


BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]
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