Finnish newspaper Kauppalehti reported that Nokian Tyres has been cheating on tire testing for several years.
According to the newspaper, Nokian has spent the past 10 years supplying certain tires for testing and then selling different tires of a lesser quality to consumers.
The tiremaker conducted an investigation in the fall of 2015 and said any possible testing malpractice issues have been rectified. Nokian said it brought forth the issue to media in an effort to increase “transparency and ethicality of our operations on all levels.”
“In past years, when the testing organizations asked manufacturers to send them tires for the tests, activities in the industry were dubious,” Nokian said in a statement. “Major test organizations have now for years acquired the tires from tire stores, and also make control tests to the tires afterwards. The board of Nokian Tyres has never decided on such stock option schemes that would have encouraged cheating in tests, unlike what has been implied in the media.”
“Last year we audited our operations. Right after that we clarified our rules for test tires which now specifically forbid any planning or manufacturing of tires that are targeted only for car media tests. The issue was immediately handled in our board of directors and together we decided to come out with this information on our own terms,” the tiremaker continued.
Nokian apologized for the mistakes it made in the past and noted that despite different tires being used in testing, the tires sold to consumers were always safe.
“High quality of our products is the foundation of Nokian Tyres. Our products are also top class in safety,” said Ari Lehtoranta, CEO of Nokian.
