Around 32 samples sent by Toyota Kirloskar India have failed emission tests conducted by government-appointed agencies.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) announced on August 30 that it had stopped accepting bookings for the Innova Crysta diesel due to very high demand. However, our sister publication Autocar Professional has learnt from reliable sources that the Innova diesel has failed the latest round of tests for emissions tests conducted by the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT).
- COP tests conducted every six months
- Toyota accepting bookings for petrol Innova Crysta
- Petrol hybrid Innova Hycross to launch in coming months
Sources tell us that 32 samples – which manufacturers submit from its mass-production batches to test agencies – have failed to meet the BS VI emission requirements during the Conformity of Production (COP) tests carried out a few weeks ago. A stream of Innovas were seen entering the ICAT facility recently.
COP tests are conducted on all models sold in the market by government designated testing and validation agencies like ICAT and ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India). This is to ensure that after their initial homologation, mass-produced models continue to adhere to emission regulations. Failure to pass the COP test results in the manufacturer being asked to stop production of the offending model immediately.
When Atul Sood, vice-president, sales and strategic marketing, TKM was asked if production of diesel Innovas had stopped, he said, “We continue to produce the Innova Crysta at our plant in Bidadi, Karnataka,” but didn’t specify if production of the diesel-powered Crysta had stopped. The petrol Crysta continues to be manufactured, and the company has just launched a Limited Edition based on the GX petrol.
Production of diesel Innova stopped
However, sources within the supplier industry and dealer community suggest that production of the diesel Innova has indeed stopped. A key supplier to Toyota on condition of anonymity said, “We have been told by Toyota that production of the diesel has been stopped, but is likely to restart in March 2023.”
This also suggests that the existing Innova will continue to be sold alongside the all-new Innova Hycross (code 560B), which will be powered by petrol and petrol-hybrid options (no diesel), and is expected to launch by the end of this year. The diesel Innova is a bread-and-butter model for Toyota and a breadwinner for fleet owners, and hence, it is unlikely that it will be phased out anytime soon.
While TKM remains tight-lipped, the series of events has sparked speculation in the market, especially among potential customers as well as dealer partners. A dealer representative, who wished to remain anonymous, said that they had been unofficially informed by the company that the production of the diesel MPV had stopped due to the prevalent Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE-2) norms, which has warranted a shift away from diesels.
Existing stock to last a month
Dealer sources have further revealed that the existing stock might only last another month, and most showrooms are looking at exhausting inventories of the diesel Crysta well before the festive season, which again suggests that production has stopped. The company, however, is likely to fulfil all bookings for the diesel variants received until early August, within the stipulated delivery time.
However, customers who booked it later last month, will see deliveries being pushed further, possibly into the next calendar year. It is learnt that customers are also being offered a full refund of their booking amount due to likely unavailability of diesel cars, with many also being persuaded by dealers to opt for the petrol variants.
The reasons behind the supposed failure of the COP test are not clear, but experts suggest that it could be due to the failure of some component. “An ethical company like Toyota would never do anything deliberately to dodge emissions. This issue seems to be more because of some component failure or manufacturing variance that has caused emissions to spike above the limits,” said an industry veteran.
While TKM verbally told Autocar Professional that reports of the Innova diesel failing the COP test are fake, in a formal email response it said, “All Toyota models, including the Innova Crysta, continue to meet all regulatory requirements consistently.”
What is a COP Test?
A COP test is conducted every six months by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) located in Pune or ICAT in Manesar. In this test, the vehicle should conform with regard to components affecting the emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants by the engine, emissions from the crankcase as well as evaporative emissions, to the vehicle model type approved.
In this test, vehicles are selected at random in the series and are tested for multiple parameters. A lot of three vehicles is summoned by the agencies for conducting the test, and even if a particular lot fails to conform to the standards, the carmaker can immediately send another three-car lot for retesting, up to a maximum of 32 vehicles from the current mass-production batches. Upon repetitive failure, carmakers are given some time to present their explanations before the authorities.
While the COP test protocols in India are exactly the same as in Europe, the difference lies in self-regulation, which is practiced by manufacturers overseas, compared to the testing conducted by external agencies in India.
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