Popular model has put certification issue behind it.

LESS than three days after pausing delivery of its Yaris Cross, Toyota New Zealand has hit play again.

The Palmerston North-based distributor announced tonight that Japan has now okayed resumption of shipments of its smallest sports utility.

“Following the announcement earlier this week that Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has suspended shipments of Japan-built Yaris Cross vehicles to New Zealand due to issues with certification testing, we are pleased to now confirm customer deliveries of the Yaris Cross has resumed,” a statement said.

On June 4, the market leader said shipments had been stopped, due to issues with “certification testing” by its parent, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) in Japan.

This transpired to be as result of TMC having admitted it improperly obtained vehicle certifications for seven car models by carrying out safety tests “using methods that differed from the Government standards.” Yaris Cross was the only NZ-market car implicated.

The admission came as part of an ongoing investigation by Japan’s Ministry of Lands, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).

Tonight TNZ said it had confirmation vehicles produced for NZ are fully compliant with certification requirements.

“Earlier this week, we determined that a temporary pause in customer deliveries was the responsible and appropriate action to take while the vehicle’s status was investigated.

“We take matters of this nature very seriously and will continue to be transparent with our customers,” a statement aid.

“We are pleased to report that those investigations have confirmed the correct process was adopted in tests conducted for the NZ specification Yaris Cross.”

TNZ again asserted there were no safety or performance issues with the car.