japan
Report: Mitsubishi Eclipse, Galant, May Die In 2013
Mitsubishi‘s mid-size offerings, already long in the tooth and outdated, may have to soldier on to 2013, after which point they will be unceremoniously executed as Mitsubishi shifts its focus from heavy, lumbering mid-size cars to small vehicles and electric powertrains. Mitsubishi is currently lacking in capital, and is investing all of its cash in…
Toyota: Strong Yen Means Exporting Small Cars “Isn’t Feasible”
Toyota‘s executive vice president for global manufacturing said that exporting the Corolla and Yaris to America was no longer profitable due to a strong yen, which is at a 15 year high relative to the U.S. dollar. Given the current exchange-rate situation, it isn’t feasible, in terms of a business model, for us to produce…
Honda Builds More Cars In The U.S. Than Japan For The First Time
The first American built Honda car rolled of the line in 1982, and 28 years later, Honda has finally reached a significant milestone in North America, building more cars in the United States than in Japan. From April to June of 2010, Honda built 236,819 vehicles in America while producing 236, 559 in Japan. American…
Toyota Cutting Domestic Production By 20% Starting In October
Anticipating a drop in demand, Toyota will begin cutting domestic output starting in October. The sluggish demand is being blamed on the end of a subsidy given out by the Japanese government for purchasing an environmentally friendly vehicle. While Toyota currently makes about 14,000 vehicles per day, output will fall to under 12,000 vehicles, but…
BMW X6 Performance Unlimited Special Edition Announced for Japan
With two gasoline versions, a hybrid version and a powerful M model, you’d think there were enough different flavors of BMW‘s new X6. But over in Japan, the German automaker has just announced a limited production of a very limited edition special model called the Performance Unlimited X6. Just 20 versions will be built and…
Nissan Juke A Runaway Success In Japan
The Nissan Juke is such a polarizing car that any predictions regarding sales numbers in North America are almost pointless – it really is a “love it or hate it” vehicle and trying to pin down consumers taste is almost a futile exercise. Nissan must have faith in their diminutive crossover’s ability to sell here,…
Nissan Juke Selling Well In Japan
Nissan‘s oddball Juke crossover is beating sales projecting in Japan by 300%, moving 1300 units in its first week. The turbocharged Juke is certainly unique looking, and its compact proportions and relatively low price should help make it an attractive proposition in a land where novelty and quirkiness are highly sought after traits in an…
Report: Better Place to Begin Test of EV Battery Swap Station in Japan
The future is nearly here. Better Place, a company devoted to developing rapid battery swap systems, will have its first station on-line by May 2010. According to Green Car Advisor, the first Tokyo station will serve Nihon Kotsu, one of the city’s largest taxi firms. “These taxis average about 300 kilometers a day each, so…
Toyota Announces $1.7B Profit Over Third Quarter
Finally some good news for Toyota. At least, for the time being. Toyota announced a profit of 153.2 billion yen (US$1.7 billion) in the third quarter ending Dec. 31, 2009. That’s an increase from the 164.7 billion yen (US$1.8 billion) loss over the same quarter in 2008. Vehicle sales reached 2.07 million units over the…
Report: Honda CEO Calls Hyundai “Awesome”
Japanese auto manufacturers consider Korea’s Hyundai to be their biggest threat, according to a report by The Associated Press. As automakers around the world struggle to survive the weakened economy and up-and-coming Chinese companies seek to make a name for themselves, Hyundai has emerged as a major player. “Hyundai is awesome,” Honda Motor Co. chief…
Breaking: Nissan Launches ‘LEAF’ Electric Car
Nissan has just unveiled a new zero emissions vehicle that is slated to go on sale in Japan, Europe and the United States next year. Called the LEAF, this C-segment (sub-compact) car is powered by an electric motor and lithium-ion battery packs. Nissan says it will be able to drive 100 miles on a single…
Sneak Peek: Nissan Gives a Glimpse of its New Electric Car
With the launch of Nissan’s new zero-emissions website dedicated to the upcoming launch of the automaker’s new electric vehicle comes a sneak peek at the revolutionary EV. We can’t tell much from the picture but it does appear to be an expectedly-funky design and a small car to boot. That being said, if the overall…
Report: Nissan Skyline Crossover Launched in Japan
Nissan has just announced the release of the Skyline Crossover in Japan, but it’s not what you might expect. Yes, it’s all-wheel drive, but noticeably absent are two turbochargers strapped to the vehicle’s V6 engine. That is because this is actually a Japanese version of the Infiniti EX. The Infiniti brand name does not exist…
Honda Insight Tops April Sales in Japan
The month of April marked an important milestone for both Honda Motor Co. and hybrid cars. Last month the new Insight achieved the status of being Japan’s most popular vehicle with more units sold than any other model – marking the first time a hybrid has ever been the monthly sales leader. In April, 10,481…
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