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☆ Toyota recalls 280,000 vehicles because they may ‘creep forward’ in neutral
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New Delhi CNN —Toyota is recalling about 280,000 pickups and SUVs in the United States because the engine may not disengage entirely when in neutral. The recall includes certain Toyota Tundra, Sequoia and Lexus LX 600 vehicles manufactured between 2022-2024. The company will inform the owners of recalled vehicles by late April and update the software for the transmission, Toyota said. The recall is one of three in the United States that the company announced Wednesday. The recall involves 15 Toyota and Lexus models from 2020 and 2021, including the Toyota Camry, Rav4, Sienna and the Lexus RX350 and ES350.

Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Toyota, Sequoia, Lexus, Lexus LS, Toyota Camry, Camry, Rav4, Daihatsu Locations: New Delhi, United States, North America, Sienna

☆ Toyota says president and chairman of its Daihatsu unit will resign in wake of safety-test scandal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Daihatsu Motor Co. Boon CILQ vehicle, right, and a Toyota Motor Corp. Passo vehicle are displayed during a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, April 11, 2016. Toyota Motor said on Tuesday both the president and chairman of Daihatsu Motor will step down almost a year after the small-car unit said it had rigged collision safety-tests. The scandals at the three companies triggered a rare apology of Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda last month. Daihatsu's chairman, Sunao Matsubayashi, will also step down and will not be replaced, Toyota added.

Persons: Boon, Akio Toyoda, Masahiro Inoue, Soichiro, Sunao Matsubayashi Organizations: Daihatsu, Co, Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota, Hino Motors, Toyota Industries Locations: Tokyo, Japan, America, Caribbean

☆ Toyota is still No.1 but recalls and certification scandals add to list of problems
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The Japanese manufacturer said Tuesday it had sold a record 11.2 million vehicles worldwide in 2023, including its Daihatsu and Hino lineups. By comparison, Volkswagen Group announced earlier this month that it had delivered 9.2 million vehicles last year, up 12% compared to 2022. Volkswagen later gained on the Japanese company, unseating Toyota in 2017. That compared with 104,000 battery-powered vehicles sold by Toyota, which has long lagged behind in the global EV race. The company, which is a leader of hybrid cars, sold 3.7 million electric vehicles total in 2023 when including hybrids.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, ” Toyota, Toyota, BYD, Warren Buffett, Tesla Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong CNN — Toyota, Volkswagen, Toyota, Daihatsu, Hino, Volkswagen Group, General Motors, Toyota Industries, Cruiser Locations: Hong Kong, Japan, United States, Europe, North America, China

☆ Toyota tells drivers of 50,000 cars to get immediate repairs because their airbag inflators could explode
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewToyota has told drivers of around 50,000 of its vehicles in the US to get urgent repairs over fears that their airbag inflators could explode, causing "serious injury or death." This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Takata airbag inflators have been linked to more than 30 deaths and hundreds of injuries since 2009, and have been responsible for the largest safety recall in automotive history. AdvertisementToyota did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business, Toyota, BMW, Daihatsu

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese transport officials raided a Toyota-affiliated plant Tuesday after the company admitted to cheating on engine testing, as Toyota Motor Corp. reported it sold over 11 million vehicles in 2023 to retain its status as the world’s top car manufacturer. In April, a whistleblower exposed that Daihatsu Motor Corp., which makes small cars and is 100% owned by Toyota, had been cheating on its testing for decades. In 2022, Hino Motors, a truck maker that’s also part of the Toyota group, said it had systematically falsified emissions data dating back as far as 2003. But production has been halted on some of the models, including the 10 models affected by the latest cheating. Sato has acknowledged Toyota group companies need better communication and education about the importance of complying with rules.

Persons: Akio Toyoda, ” Toyoda, Toyoda, Sakichi Toyoda, Kiichiro Toyoda, Akio’s, Koji Sato, that’s, Sato, Daisuke Uchida, ” Uchida, “, ” ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, Toyota, Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota Industries Corp, Lexus, Volkswagen AG, Reporters, Daihatsu Motor Corp, Hino Motors, Nikkei, Toyota Industries, Cruiser, General Motors Co, Pontiac, Keio University Locations: Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Nagoya, Tokyo, Europe, East, Africa, Asia, North America, United States, California

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota chief Koji Sato apologized Monday to customers, suppliers and dealers for flawed testing at a group company, following a series of similar problems in recent years. The apology came a day before Chairman Akio Toyoda is to announce a “global vision” for the Toyota Motor Corp. group. The latest woes at Japan’s top automaker involve testing required for Japanese government approval at Toyota Industries Corp., which makes diesel engines. In 2022, Hino Motors, a truck maker that’s also part of the Toyota group, said it had systematically falsified emissions data dating back as far as 2003. They include the Land Cruiser and Hilux sport utility vehicles, according to Toyota.

Persons: —, Koji Sato, Akio Toyoda, ” Sato, ”, that’s, Sato, “, Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, — Toyota, Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota Industries Corp, Toyota, “, Daihatsu Motor Corp, Hino Motors, Cruiser Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Europe, East, Africa, Asia, North America

☆ Toyota halts shipment of 10 models over diesel engine testing issues
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

A special investigative committee found irregularities during horsepower output testing for the certification of three diesel engine models. Ten models use the affected engines globally, Toyota (TM) said, including the Hiace van, Fortuner SUV, Innova multi-purpose vehicle and Lexus-branded LX500D SUV. The company said it would take measures such as running new engine certification tests in the presence of regulators as needed. The company holds a near 25% stake in Toyota Industries, which is a key Toyota group company. Shares in Toyota Industries sank into negative territory shortly after the news and ended down 4%.

Persons: Koichi Ito Organizations: Toyota, Cruiser, Toyota Industries, Lexus, world’s, Daihatsu, Toyota Motor, Mar Locations: Tokyo, Aichi prefecture

A Toyota unit used software to measure horse power output that made “values appear smoother with less variation,” Toyota, the parent company, said in a statement. The vehicles “meet engine output standards,” and there is no need to stop using the engines or vehicles, the company said. The company named the affected models and engines, but did not say how many vehicles it would stop shipping. Still, Toyota decided to stop shipping the 10 models that use three diesel engines at issue. Then, it reported that Japan’s government was investigating Daihatsu, the subsidiary, for safety problems that dated back decades.

Organizations: Toyota, Daihatsu Locations: United States

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese automaker that cheated on safety tests for decades said Monday it doesn't expect to resume shipping cars any time soon. The Japanese government ordered a subsidiary of Toyota to halt production of its entire lineup after reports of faked safety test results emerged last year. The Daihatsu Motor Co. skipped mandatory safety tests by copying data from testing on one side of cars to the other, and used timers to ensure airbags went off in tests, a review found. An investigation including third-party experts found 174 cases of faked tests affecting dozens of models, including cars sold under the Toyota Motor Corp. nameplate. The review found that cheating went back 30 years.

Persons: —, Keita Ide, Soichiro Okudaira, truckmaker Hino, Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s, ” ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, Toyota, Daihatsu, Co, Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota Industries Corp

☆ I was shocked by all the tiny vehicles I saw in Japan. Here are my top 16 'Kei' vehicles.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Here are the most interesting tiny cars I saw on a recent trip to Japan, along with my top pick. Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and other locations were awash with tiny "kei" trucks, cars and vans. Kei cars are also lighter, so even though most are still gas-powered, they are efficient. For passengers, these small vehicles may not perform as well as big vehicles in crashes. Still, I was won over by these kei cars.

Persons: Kei, —, Suzuki Organizations: Service, Daihatsu, Toyota Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Japanese

☆ Toyota shares slide 4% after vehicle recall, Daihatsu safety issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-21 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Japanese automaker Toyota led losses on the Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index Thursday, closing lower by 4%. The sharp fall came after Toyota announced a recall of about a million vehicles on Thursday. The safety recall involved certain 2020-2022 Toyota and Lexus models in the United States. The sell-off also comes after Toyota subsidiary Daihatsu halted shipments of all its vehicles on Wednesday, after an investigation found safety issues with its cars, including cases where airbag control units used in airbag tests for some models were different from the ones sold to the public. A independent panel had been probing Daihatsu after it said in April it had rigged side-collision safety tests carried out for 88,000 small cars, most of those sold as Toyotas.

Organizations: Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu Locations: United States

☆ Forget Tesla – this $13,000 tiny car is Japan's best-selling EV
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The $13,000 "Kei car" has left rivals such as Tesla in the dust. Mini "Kei trucks" are taking off in the US, with some being sold for as little as $5,000. AdvertisementAdvertisementTesla may dominate the global EV market — but for drivers in Japan, a $13,000 tiny car is proving a better investment. Their cousins, Kei trucks, have become increasingly in demand in the US in recent years. Kei trucks such as the Daihatsu Hijet have become increasingly popular in the US.

Persons: —, minicar, Sakura, Nissan Sakura, Elon, Kei, Warren, TORU YAMANAKA, Suzuki Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Tesla, Daihatsu, EV Locations: Japan, America

☆ What happened to shut down Toyota's production in Japan?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WHAT HAPPENED TO SHUT DOWN TOYOTA'S PRODUCTION IN JAPAN? Toyota's production has been recovering this year, so the outage could be potentially more costly than the 2022 shutdown. Toyota's production in Japan - about a third of its global output - averaged about 13,500 vehicles a day in the first half of the year, Reuters calculations showed. WHAT IS TOYOTA'S PRODUCTION AND SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM? Toyota's system of lean production and just-in-time parts delivery has been adopted across the auto industry and widely studied.

Persons: Taichi Ono, Wiggly, Koji Sato, Akio Toyoda, Tesla, Daniel Leussink, Satoshi Sugiyama, Kevin Krolicki, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Toyota, Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Kojima Industries, Lexus, Daihatsu, Hino, TOYOTA, ITS, Thomson Locations: Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, JAPAN, United States

☆ Toyota to halt operations at all Japan assembly plants due to system failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Employees of Toyota Motor Corp. work on the assembly line of Mirai fuel cell vehicle (FCV) at the company's Motomachi plant in Toyota, Aichi prefecture, Japan May 17, 2018. Toyota was looking into the cause of the problem, a spokesperson said, adding it was "likely not due to a cyberattack". Toyota suspended operations at 12 of its plants from Tuesday morning, with two remaining online. Production in Japan was up 29% in the first half of the year, the first such increase in two years. Toyota's operations ground to a halt last year when one of its suppliers was hit by a cyberattack.

Persons: Issei Kato, Satoshi Sugiyama, Miyoung Kim, Kevin Krolicki, David Dolan, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Toyota Motor Corp, REUTERS, Rights, Toyota, Daihatsu, Hino, Pacific, Thomson Locations: Toyota, Aichi prefecture, Japan, China, Tokyo

☆ Toyota to restart Japan production on Wednesday after system failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummaryCompanies Toyota suspends production at all 14 domestic assembly plantsSystem failure preventing Toyota from ordering partsCause under investigation, not likely to be a cyberattackPlants make up third of Toyota world output -Reuters calculationStock closes down 0.2%TOKYO, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor (7203.T) will restart operations at its assembly plants in Japan on Wednesday, after a production system malfunction brought domestic output to a halt at the world's biggest-selling automaker. The plants together account for about a third of the automaker's global production, Reuters calculations showed. Toyota's domestic production had been on the rebound after a series of output cuts it blamed on semiconductor shortages. Its Japan output averaged about 13,500 vehicles daily in the first half of the year, Reuters calculations showed. Toyota is a pioneer of just-in-time inventory management, which keeps down costs but means supply chain snarls put production at risk.

Persons: Seiji Sugiura, Satoshi Sugiyama, Miyoung Kim, Kevin Krolicki, Daniel Leussink, David Dolan, Christopher Cushing, Mark Potter Organizations: Toyota, Daihatsu, Hino, Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Analysts, Tokai Tokyo Research Institute, Toyota Industries, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, , Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, China

☆ Toyota's Japan production at standstill as system failure hits assembly plants
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Workers of Japanese automobile giant Toyota Motor assemble vehicles at the company's Motomachi plant near Nagoya, Japan on July 30, 2018. Toyota Motor on Tuesday said it has suspended operations at all 14 of its assembly plants in Japan due to a production system malfunction, bringing domestic output to a standstill at the world's biggest-selling automaker. Toyota suspended 12 plants in its home market from Tuesday morning and added the final two from the afternoon, the spokesperson said. Toyota's domestic production had been on the rebound after a series of output cuts it blamed on semiconductor shortage. Its Japan output averaged about 13,500 vehicles daily in the first half of the year, Reuters calculations showed.

Organizations: Toyota Motor, Toyota, Daihatsu, Hino Locations: Nagoya, Japan

☆ Malaysia's Permodalan Nasional weighs $2.15 bln automakers merger in EV push - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Yantoultra Ngui | Thomson Reuters | Yantoultra Ngui Is A Southeast Asia Deals Correspondent With Reuters In Singapore | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PNB holds 60.6% of industrial group UMW Holdings (UMWS.KL), which in turn owns 38% of Perodua, the country's biggest automaker by market share. PNB, Sime Darby, UMW and Perodua declined to comment. Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Vietnam has EV maker VinFast , while Indonesia has nickel producers including Merdeka Battery (MBMA.JK) and Trimegah Bangun (NCKL.JK) supplying the key battery metal in the global EV supply chain. Sime Darby Motor has been pushing for the adoption of EVs in Malaysia. Perodua is also eyeing breaking into the EV market and embarked last year on a study to build its first hybrid vehicle.

Persons: Otomobil, Sime Darby, PNB, Trimegah, Yantoultra Ngui, Tom Hogue, Sonali Paul Organizations: Malaysia EV, EV, Sime Darby, Permodalan, Darby Motors, State, Sime, Sime Darby Motors, UMW Holdings, country's, Daihatsu, MBM Resources, Mitsui & Co, VinFast, Merdeka, Sime Darby Motor, Thomson Locations: Malaysia, Malaysia SINGAPORE, Permodalan Nasional, Malaysian, Southeast Asia, Perodua's, Perodua, UMW, Vietnam, Indonesia, The Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia

[1/2] A worker cleans an electric-powered car Neta V, that is displayed during the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show in Tangerang, near Jakarta, Indonesia, August 10, 2023. Dody Hartono, a visitor at the auto show who plans to buy his first EV by 2024, said he wants a better deal. Indonesia has ambitious EV growth plans as it races Thailand and India to build out an EV industry as an alternative to China, the world's largest producer. CONFIDENCE ISSUESToyota (7203.T), its affiliate Daihatsu, and Honda (7267.T) account for two-thirds of auto sales in Indonesia but have been slow to pivot to EVs. Toyota has said it has no plans yet to build an EV in Indonesia.

Persons: Willy Kurniawan, Dody, EVs, Hartono, China's, Hendra Pratama, Hendra Budi, –, Johan Purnomo, Stefanno Sulaiman, Kevin Krolicki, Himani Organizations: REUTERS, Hyundai, HK, Air EV Lite, Daihatsu, Huawei, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi Motors, Thomson Locations: Indonesia, Tangerang, Jakarta, Thailand, India, China, Southeast Asia

☆ Indonesia gives automakers more time to qualify for EV credits in investment bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Stefanno Sulaiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A worker stands near a Mini Cooper Electric car, that is displayed during the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show in Tangerang, near Jakarta, Indonesia, August 10, 2023. REUTERS/Willy KurniawanTANGERANG, Indonesia, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Indonesia said on Thursday it would give automakers two more years to qualify for electric vehicle incentives in Southeast Asia's largest auto market, a move followed by investment commitments by China's Neta EV brand and Mitsubishi Motors. The moves announced at the Jakarta auto show come as Indonesia races Thailand and India to build out an EV industry as an alternative to China, the world’s largest producer. Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s largest auto market and its second-largest production hub behind Thailand. Until now, only two manufacturers have shifted enough production to Indonesia to qualify for full incentives: Wuling Motors (0305.HK) and Hyundai (005380.KS).

Persons: Willy Kurniawan TANGERANG, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, ” Agus, Wuling, Hiroyuki Ueda, Stefanno Sulaiman, Kevin Krolicki, Conor Humphries Organizations: Cooper, REUTERS, China's, Mitsubishi Motors, Toyota, Daihatsu, Honda, Mitsubishi, New Energy Automobile, Wuling Motors, HK, Hyundai, Wuling, Air EV, Reuters, Gaikindo, Auto Show, Astra Motor, PT Astra International, Thomson Locations: Indonesia, Tangerang, Jakarta, Thailand, India, China, Southeast, Neta, Gaikindo Indonesia

☆ These tiny Japanese pick-up trucks that cost about $5,000 are winning fans in America
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tiny Japanese trucks that cost as little as $5,000 are winning over some Americans. It's not just tiny homes taking America by storm – now tiny trucks made in Japan are becoming increasingly popular too. The tiny trucks are a common sight on Japanese roads, but they've also won over some Americans wanting a versatile, compact – and cheap – vehicle. The cheapest Kei truck sold by Japan Car Direct is about $5,000, with shipping costs accounting for much of that sum. Japan Car Direct and its competitors will walk customers through the import process, which requires several forms to be completed.

Persons: they've, It's, Kei, Subaru Sambar, Suzuki, Matt Matusiak, we've, Matusiak, there's Organizations: Japan, Morning, Daihatsu, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Nissan, of Transportation, Environmental Protection, Vehicles, Twitter Locations: America, Japan, Pennsylvania

☆ Japan's Hitachi Astemo flags lapses in quality tests over decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The comments come in the wake of news last month that Toyota affiliate Daihatsu rigged safety tests for 88,000 small cars. Hitachi Astemo, which makes car and railway parts ranging from brake and damping systems to powertrains, worked with customers to redo tests on nearly 24 affected products following an investigation, Chief Executive Brice Koch told reporters. "We have now taken all the relevant measures to improve, to increase the robustness of our system and our company," Koch said, saying he did not expect any impact on growth or costs. The issues included reporting periodic test results to customers without running the actual tests on some products. Employees also ran tests on suspension systems at incorrect temperatures, a spokesperson said.

☆ Toyota, partners to start selling electric micro-vans by March 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, May 18 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) and two allied automakers unveiled a micro-sized electric van targeted at Japan's delivery industry on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima on Thursday. The small electric commercial van will run on a battery electric vehicle (BEV) system that Toyota is jointly developing with minivehicle specialists Daihatsu and Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T), the companies said in a joint statement. The roll-out by Toyota, which owns 4.89% of Suzuki, and its partners also comes as other automakers in Japan are expanding their lineups with electric mini-commercial vans. Honda Motor Co Ltd (7267.T) said in December it would start selling a micro-sized commercial electric van with a target cruising range of 200km in spring 2024, as part of its effort to electrify its vehicle lineup. Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T) in November re-launched its own small commercial van, Minicab-MiEV, which has a shorter cruising range of 133 km.

[1/2] A Toyota logo is seen during the New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 5, 2023. REUTERS/David 'Dee' DelgadoTOKYO, May 12 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Friday the vehicle data of 2.15 million users in Japan, or almost the entire customer base who signed up for its main cloud service platforms since 2012, had been publicly available for a decade due to human error. The issue, which began in November 2013 and lasted until mid-April, stemmed from human error, leading to a cloud system being set to public instead of private, a Toyota spokesperson said. It could encompass details such as vehicle locations and identification numbers of vehicle devices, but there were no reports of malicious use, the company said. Toyota said it would introduce a system to audit cloud settings, establish a system to continuously monitor settings, and thoroughly educate employees on data handling rules.

Toyota forecast operating profit will rise to 3.0 trillion yen ($22.2 billion) this business year, in line with analysts' average forecast of 3.02 trillion yen. That target came operating profit for the fiscal fourth quarter through March surged more than a third to 626.9 billion yen - easily ahead of the average 553.46 billion yen profit estimated by 10 analysts, according to Refinitiv data. Reflecting the weak yen impact, revenue for the business year ended March 2023 grew to a record 37.15 trillion yen. EV ACCELERATIONThe new EV sales target, still a fraction of industry leader Tesla (TSLA.O), would boost Toyota's battery EVs to nearly 2% of total sales volume, up from just 0.4% of its total vehicle sales in the last fiscal year. "We expect an increase in (overall) sales volume in all regions and production volume of 10.1 million (vehicles), due to such factors as ... improvement in semiconductor supply," Toyota said in a statement.

BANGKOK, May 8 (Reuters) - Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) has stopped sales and deliveries of its Yaris Ativ in Thailand, senior officials said on Monday, after its affiliate Daihatsu rigged part of the door in side-collision safety tests. Toyota was working with the Thai government to resume sales of the model, which has been produced in Toyota's Gateway plant in Chachoengsao province, and further investigation was underway. "If development had been carried out under appropriate conditions, this kind of problem would of course not have happened," Maeda said. Daihatsu has said that some 76,000 of those vehicles were Yaris Ativs mainly bound for Thailand, Mexico and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Toyota President Koji Sato, who took over the top job from Toyoda on April 1, was not at the press conference.

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