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☆ Toyota-affiliate Daihatsu rigged safety test for 88,000 cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Toyota said it had not received any report of an accident or injury related to the rigged side-crash test. Daihatsu said it had discovered the rigged safety test after a whistleblower report. It said it had reported the issue to safety regulatory agencies and stopped shipment of affected models. The affected models include Toyota Yaris Ativs made in Thailand from last August, and Perodua Axias manufactured in Malaysia starting from February. Daihatsu said it would run new safety tests in the presence of regulators and confirm the safety of the models before resuming shipments.

☆ Japan's Honda, GS Yuasa to invest $3 bln for battery development, build plant -Nikkei
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, April 27 (Reuters) - Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co Ltd (7267.T) and battery maker GS Yuasa Corp (6674.T) will invest over 400 billion yen ($2.99 billion) and team up to produce batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and homes, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Thursday. The companies will start by building a new plant in Japan, targeting a production capacity of at least 20 gigawatt hours (GWh), the Nikkei added, without citing sources. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry would provide a subsidy of about 150 billion yen, the newspaper added, without specifying whether that would be only for building the factory. GS Yuasa could not be immediately reached outside of regular office hours. ($1 = 133.9700 yen)Reporting by Daniel Leussink, Maki Shiraki and Elaine Lies; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Imbalance had long riled Nissan executives who complained Renault did not pay its fair share of costs for innovation and development. In a joint statement to Reuters, Nissan and Renault said they were working toward final partnership terms that would make them more competitive. Nissan will invest and provide technology for the venture but will limit its operational involvement, one of the people told Reuters. In rebalancing talks, Nissan has pushed for protection of its technology to limit any downside from continued partnership, people involved have said. Among technology Nissan wants to protect is its work on solid-state lithium-ion battery making and its e-Power electric hybrid powertrain, the people said.

TOKYO, April 7 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Friday it aims to introduce 10 new battery electric vehicle models by 2026 - a long awaited ramp-up in an area that the Japanese automaker has been slow to embrace. Investors have long argued that Toyota has not been fast enough in developing a battery-powered vehicle line-up, instead favouring hybrids like its pioneering Prius. Toyota has countered that a mix of options - including gasoline-electric hybrids, makes more sense for its global customer base. New chief executive Koji Sato said Toyota would speed up in battery electrics but added that hybrids would remain an important pillar of its business. Toyota is targeting annual production of 1.5 million battery-powered cars by 2026, Chief Technology Officer Hiroki Nakajima told the briefing.

A new EV platform, if implemented, would be the result of a far-reaching review of Toyota's electric-car strategy undertaken last year. Its current production architecture, the e-TNGA system, was launched in 2019 and produces electric vehicles on the same assembly line as gasoline cars and hybrids. The briefing was given by the former chief competitive officer tasked with the EV strategy review, Shigeki Terashi, according to the person. So far it has fallen short - its initial battery EV, the bZ4X, suffered an early recall and has had only limited sales. GM sold more than 20,000 electric vehicles during the first quarter while Toyota and its luxury brand Lexus sold about 1,880 battery electrics.

REUTERS/Nacho DoceTOKYO/SEOUL, March 31 (Reuters) - South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) is considering setting up a chip test line in Japan, five people said, to bolster its advanced packaging business and forge closer ties with Japanese makers of semiconductor equipment and materials. It would be the first such test line in Japan for Samsung, the world's largest maker of memory chips. Companies are racing to develop advanced packaging techniques, which involve placing chips with different functions into a single package, to enhance overall capabilities and limit the added cost of more advanced chips. The test line would involve the so-called back-end process of chipmaking, according to the five people, which refers to a process in which semiconductors are cut and assembled into products. Samsung last year set up an advanced packaging team in South Korea.

But production is running at least a third below plan, keeping the Ariya from shipping to new customers, according to three of the people and production planning notes reviewed by Reuters. Implementation has proved "an extremely, extremely high challenge" and the advanced paint line has become a persistent headache, one of the people said. In a statement to Reuters, Nissan said Ariya production had faced challenges including supply of semiconductors, disruptions in components shipments and the factory's paint line. EVs accounted for just 4.5% of Nissan's global sales of 3.2 million vehicles in 2022. Output over the next two months is expected to fall short of that, according to production planning notes from last month reviewed by Reuters.

☆ Japan's new rocket fails after engine issue, in blow to space ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Tim Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] An H3 rocket carrying a land observation satellite lifts off from the launching pad at Tanegashima Space Center on the southwestern island of Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan March 7, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo. The 57-metre (187 ft) tall H3 rocket lifted off without a hitch from the Tanegashima space port, a live-streamed broadcast by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) showed. But upon reaching space, the rocket's second-stage engine failed to ignite, forcing mission officials to manually destroy the vehicle. "This will have a serious impact on Japan's future space policy, space business and technological competitiveness," he added. A successful launch on Tuesday would have put the Japanese rocket into space ahead of the planned launch later this year of the European Space Agency's new lower-cost Ariane 6 vehicle.

☆ Japan destroys new medium-lift rocket after second-stage engine failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Tim Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, March 7 (Reuters) - Japan said it had destroyed a new medium-lift rocket it launched toward space on Tuesday after the vehicle's second-stage engine failed to ignite. The 57-metre (187 ft) tall H3 rocket lifted off from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Tanegashima space port, following an aborted launch last month. It was carrying the ALOS-3, a disaster management land observation satellite that is also equipped with an experimental infrared sensor designed to detect North Korean ballistic missile launches. Reporting by Tim Kelly, Maki Shiraki and Rocky Swift; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nissan raises global EV targets; to boost U.S. input
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nissan now aims to have electrified vehicles - which include its advanced hybrid e-power cars - make up over 55% of global sales by fiscal 2030, up from a previous goal of 50%, it said. The EV mix will increase to 44% by fiscal 2026 from an earlier target of 40%, Nissan said. REUTERS/Mike BlakeThe automaker plans 27 new electrified vehicles by that year, 19 of which will be all-battery EVs, it said in a statement. That compared with its previous plan of 23 electrified vehicles including 15 all-battery EVs. Nissan is confident it will be in compliance with the Act due to the localisation of battery production starting from 2026.

TOKYO, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T), the world's biggest automaker, said on Wednesday it would accept a union demand for the biggest base salary increase in 20 years and a rise in bonus payments, as Japan steps up calls for businesses to hike pay. As one of Japan's biggest employers, Toyota has long served as a bellwether of the spring labour talks, which are in full swing at major companies. The All Toyota Workers' Union is set to hold a media briefing later on Wednesday. "We will boost consumption and expand domestic demand by promoting efforts toward structural wage increases," Kishida said at a lower house budget committee session on Wednesday. Video game maker Nintendo Co Ltd (7974.T) said earlier this month that it planned to lift workers' base pay by 10%, despite trimming its full-year profit forecast.

☆ Nissan and Renault close in on overhaul of alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO/PARIS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Nissan and Renault are closing in on a sweeping overhaul of their globe-spanning automaking alliance as top executives meet on Thursday for talks to reset the two-decade-old partnership and chart a course for an uncertain electric future. Leaders of Nissan Motor Co Ltd (7201.T) and Renault SA (RENA.PA) are meeting via video link for an alliance board meeting, sources previously told Reuters. The future shape of the Franco-Japanese alliance has implications for both companies as well as their junior partner, Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T). Renault, for instance, has said it will partner with companies from China's Geely Automobile Holdings (0175.HK) to semiconductor giant Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O). Nissan has been concerned that the technology it has developed while partnered with Renault could leak to the French automaker's partners as it restructures, Reuters has reported.

☆ Nissan-Renault deal on alliance could come as early as Feb. 1 - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Jan 19 (Reuters) - A deal between French carmaker Renault (RENA.PA) and Japanese partner Nissan (7201.T) could be announced as early as Feb. 1 as months of negotiations on how to reshape their alliance progress, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The deal would see Renault cut its stake in Nissan to 15%, equalising the carmakers' holdings in each other, sources previously told Reuters. Renault has consistently declined to comment publicly about the timing of a possible deal announcement. The potential deal will be examined again by an alliance board meeting on Jan. 26 in Japan, which could be attended by de Meo and Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard, the source said. The timetable could change, but both companies would prefer to make a formal announcement before the release of their annual results, scheduled for Feb. 9 for Nissan and Feb. 16 for Renault, the source said.

☆ Nissan directors endorse steps to reach deal with Renault-sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Maki Shiraki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Nissan board-level review also marked progress after three months of working-level negotiations aimed at restructuring a partnership that dates back to 1999, when Renault bailed out Nissan. The Nissan outside directors, meeting in committee, endorsed steps to try to reach an agreement between the two sides, they said. The two companies are discussing reducing Renault's stake in Nissan from the current 43% to 15%, equal to Nissan’s stake in Renault. The 28% stake in Nissan that Renault would sell would be transferred to a trust, people involved have said. At the same time, Nissan is considering investing in a new electric vehicle company that Renault aims to establish code-named Ampere.

Renault and Nissan declined to comment. The two sides have been in intensive negotiations since October when Renault CEO Luca De Meo went to Japan to meet Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida. Renault is looking for Nissan to invest in an electric-vehicle business it will carve out of its operations, while Nissan wants Renault to sell most its roughly 43% stake in Nissan to put the 23-year alliance on a more equal footing, Reuters has previously reported. The details of Renault's proposed protections for Nissan technology were not immediately known. Nissan holds 15% of Renault and does not hold voting rights.

☆ Back to the future: Toyota sets sights on old-car upgrades in zero-emissions drive
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda and Toyota's GAZOO Racing Company President Koji Sato attend an event for Toyota GAZOO Racing and LEXUS at Tokyo Auto Salon 2023 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo, Japan January 13, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonCHIBA, Japan, Jan 13 (Reuters) - In an eye-catching bid to show that cars can be clean while appealing to old-school petrolheads, Toyota Motor (7203.T) on Friday showcased zero-emission versions of its 1980s sports range, which still boasts a strong global fan base. Toyota President Akio Toyoda said remodelling existing cars needed to be explored as an option to achieve a goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050. In Japan, only one in about 20 cars on the road are new, and older ones are mainly powered at least partly by gasoline. "It's important to leave a choice for cars that are already loved or owned by someone," Toyoda, a self-confessed car-lover and race-car driver, said at the event.

Tokyo Electron (8035.T), Japan's leading chip manufacturing equipment maker, relies on China for about a quarter of its revenue. The other top producers of chip-making gear are the United States and the Netherlands, home to ASML (ASML.AS), another of the world's biggest makers of chip-making tools. SEEKING A DEALU.S. officials are quick to play down the differences between the United States, Japan and other allies. But unless Japan and the Netherlands impose their own export controls, China will soon perfect other ways of getting the equipment it needs, even as American companies stand to lose market share. "For better or worse, Japan's semiconductor strategy is moving in accordance with what the United States wants."

TOKYO, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Renault SA (RENA.PA) and Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) are set to forgo a Wednesday announcement of a deal to restructure their automotive alliance as they struggle to bridge their differences, three people familiar with the matter said. The French and Japanese carmakers remained apart on how to share intellectual property, the people, who declined to be named, said. Renault and Nissan declined to comment. The companies have been aiming to announce the new alliance structure as early as this month, Reuters reported this week. The question of how to share technology and intellectual property has proved to be a sticking point in the talks.

☆ Toyota revamps Prius in bid to give hybrids back their halo
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Satoshi Sugiyama | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Toyota billed the new Prius, with its shark-like front and ability to operate as an electric-only vehicle for most daily driving, as a way bring hybrids to a wider audience. Launched in 1997, the petrol-electric Prius hybrid was a hit with eco-conscious drivers and even now it is among the most fuel-efficient mid-priced. The hybrid models will launch this winter and the plug-in hybrids will launch in the spring, it said. The new Prius will be the first to feature Toyota's 2-litre plug-in hybrid system, which includes an EV driving range that is about 50% higher than that of the previous model, Toyota said. Toyota has also pushed back against critics, saying hybrids make sense in markets where infrastructure isn't ready to support a faster move to battery vehicles.

☆ Asia's coal phase-out must be gradual, says Mitsubishi Heavy head
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Previously, the discussion was binary in which you had to choose between renewable energy or existing technology. A "realistic" mix of renewable energy and greener existing infrastructure is needed to help Asia's emerging economies meet a power consumption boom in coming years, Izumisawa said. "You have to think not just about renewable energy, but how to make better use of resources like coal and LNG," he said. Japan, the world's fifth-biggest CO2 emitter, has also called for more focus on promoting the transition of existing fuel plants to greener energy resources. Indonesia is the world's fourth-most populous country and eighth-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, with coal making up about 65% of its total energy mix.

An early mover in the electric car race, Renault has fallen behind newer, more agile rivals like Tesla. But big question marks remain on its strained relationship with long-standing Japanese partner Nissan, as Renault looks for other outside investors for each of its divisions. Nissan (7201.T) is expected to take a stake in the EV venture, codenamed "Ampere", alongside other investors, though Renault will keep a majority stake. Renault CEO Luca De Meo said the group wanted to give the alliance a strong future and a "new chance". Aside from the Ampere EV unit and the combustion engine division, Renault will have an additional three businesses - the Alpine sports-car brand, financial services and new mobility and recycling activities.

Renault's joint venture with Geely will employ 19,000 people at 17 powertrain factories and three research and development hubs, the companies said, adding they expect to reach a final agreement and launch the new company in 2023. Renault and Geely will each hold 50%, the companies said in a statement that did not detail other financial terms. Nissan has said it is considering an investment in the Ampere electric venture. Renault and Geely said they expect their new joint venture would supply internal combustion engines and hybrid powertrains to both Nissan and the junior partner in Renault's existing alliance, Mitsubishi Motors (7211.T). Renault and Geely have an existing joint venture in South Korea.

REUTERS/Aly SongBEIJING/TOKYO, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co's (7201.T) concerns about technology transfers have complicated its partner Renault's (RENA.PA) plans to sell a large stake in its gasoline-engine business to China's Geely (0175.HK), three people familiar with the talks said. Nissan's concerns about technology rights have also been one reason why it has yet to reach a preliminary agreement to invest in Ampere. Renault has a 43% stake in Nissan while the Japanese automaker has a 15% non-voting stake in Renault. People with knowledge of the talks have said the two sides have been discussing a reduction in Renault's stake in Nissan, potentially to 15%. Uchida also said Nissan wanted to see a “fair treatment” of its interests in any new partnership Renault strikes with Geely.

☆ Toyota considers sharp boost in output of first EV, but not before 2025, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Toyota is considering a sharp increase in production of its first mass-market battery-electric vehicle from 2025, according to three people with knowledge of the developing plans, ramping up output of the vehicle amid a broader strategy rethink. The car is produced at Toyota Motor Corp's Motomachi plant near its headquarters on a shared assembly line with gasoline cars and hybrids. Both the current and potential production numbers include those of the Subaru Corp Solterra, which is made on the same platform. The increase would see Toyota add production at another plant near its headquarters, the Takaoka factory, said the three people, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was not public. Reporting by Maki Shiraki; Writing by Kevin Krolicki; Editing by David DolanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Toyota slashes leasing fee for troubled EV to rekindle orders
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A worker prepares 2023 Toyota Electric bZ4X at the 2022 New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 13, 2022. Starting Wednesday, the application fee is 385,000 yen while the monthly cost is 1,100 yen cheaper. Those who signed up beforehand are eligible for a discount, said Shinya Kotera, president of KINTO, the Toyota unit offering the leases. Just a year into its $38 billion EV plan, Toyota is already considering starting again to better compete in a market growing beyond the automaker's projections, Reuters reported on Monday. ($1 = 148.7900 yen)Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama and Maki Shiraki; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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