Hyundai, Kia Whistleblower a Detroit Three Insider

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Hyundai and Kia’s mpg claims were recently found to be incorrect when compared to the real world numbers, and now it seems that one of the big three American automakers may have called them out.

Margo Oge, retired head of the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality told Automotive News that a senior VP of one of the Detroit 3 called her in 2010 to accuse the Korean brands of inflating their mpg numbers. That tip lead to the investigation which caused Hyundai and Kia to initiate a payback program to customers, in order to compensate for the fuel economy errors.

When each American company was asked about Oge’s claim, they all had a different answer. “It’s not us,” said Chrysler spokesman Eric Mayne. ”We don’t conduct our business in that manner,” answered GM spokeswoman Sharon Basel.

SEE ALSO: Ford Hybrids Not Achieving EPA MPG Ratings: Report

Ford was the only company with a long reply, saying, “we cannot comment on any specific discussions, but Ford routinely speaks with policymakers about a wide variety of issues affecting our industry. We have been — and remain — an advocate of driving real fuel economy gains because it is in the best interest of our customers.”

Based on the responses, it seems all signs point to Ford, but with that company dealing with claimed fuel economy issues of its own, it doesn’t seem likely.

Discuss this story at Hyundai-Forums.com. 

[source: Automotive News]

 

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