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By last year, with sanctions elsewhere tightening, Russia was buying more than a quarter of Japan's used-car exports for an average price of almost $8,200. That was more than double the price in 2020, when Russia took about 15% of Japan's used-car exports. Those sales had been on track to top $1.9 billion for all of 2023 before Japan imposed its own tougher sanctions, trade data show. A system of mandatory inspections pushes the cost of maintaining used cars higher for customers in Japan. Battery recycling firm 4R Energy has seen a "significant" tailwind from declining used-car prices, including the Nissan Leaf, said chief executive Yutaka Horie.

Persons: Sergei Karpukhin, Japan's, we've, Olesya Alekseeva, Takanori Kikuchi, Wataru Nishiwaki, Yutaka Horie, Daniel Leussink, Gleb Stolyarov, Kevin Krolicki, Sonali Paul Organizations: Toyota, REUTERS, Rights, SV Alliance, Japan's Ministry, Economy, Trade, Industry, Honda, Energy, Nissan, Sumitomo, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Africa, Toyama, Russia's Vladivostok, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Niigata prefecture

☆ Toyota to speed up EV production, aims for over 600,000 vehicles in 2025, Nikkei reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A Toyota EV car is seen at the Bangkok International Motor Show in Bangkok, Thailand, March 30, 2022. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Toyota Motor Corp FollowTOKYO, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor (7203.T) will speed up production of electric vehicles of its Toyota and luxury Lexus brands, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Friday. The Nikkei report said the Japanese automaker was likely to step up production of battery-powered vehicles over the coming years to reach annual output of more than 600,000 vehicles in 2025. The company has previously said it targets sales of 1.5 million EVs annually by 2026 and 3.5 million, or about one-third of current global volume, by 2030. It sought to raise EV production to about 150,000 vehicles in 2023 and gradually increase it further to the 190,000-vehicle range next year, Nikkei said.

Persons: Soe Zeya, Daniel Leussink, Himani Sarkar, Jane Merriman Organizations: Toyota, REUTERS, Rights, Toyota Motor Corp, Lexus, Nikkei, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand

"Due diligence wise JSW is talking to a lot of people because it needs an ecosystem for an EV. JSW's billionaire chairman Sajjan Jindal has publicly aired his desire to build EVs and its talks to buy a stake in China's MG Motor (600104.SS). Toshiba said it is not able to confirm "at this point" if it is in talks with JSW for a partnership to build battery cells. All three sources declined to be identified as the talks are still ongoing and a final decision has not been made. Tesla is also eyeing India and is in talks with the government to build EVs and batteries there.

Persons: Danish Siddiqui, JSW, LGES, China's CATL, Sajjan Jindal, CATL, Narendra Modi's, JSW's, Ola, Aditi Shah, Neha Arora, Heekyong Yang, Daniel Leussink, Miho Uranaka, Zhang Yan, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Danish, Korea's LG Energy, Panasonic, Toshiba, JSW's, Tesla, General Motors, China's, HK, Reuters, JSW, Tata Motors, TVS, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, DELHI, Korea, Korean, India's, New Delhi, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai

JSW held talks with senior LGES executives in Korea earlier this month, proposing a partnership to manufacture battery cells in India for EVs and energy storage, one of the people with direct knowledge of the discussions said. "Due diligence wise JSW is talking to a lot of people because it needs an ecosystem for an EV. JSW's billionaire chairman Sajjan Jindal has publicly aired his desire to build EVs and its talks to buy a stake in China's MG Motor (600104.SS). Toshiba said it is not able to confirm "at this point" if it is in talks with JSW for a partnership to build battery cells. Tesla is also eyeing India and is in talks with the government to build EVs and batteries there.

☆ China's BYD sets Dolphin EV price in Japan at 3.63 mln yen -website
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Visitors view a BYD Dolphin EV car at the 44th Bangkok International Motor Show in Bangkok, Thailand, March 23, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies BYD Co Ltd FollowTOKYO, Sept 20 (Reuters) - China's BYD (002594.SZ) has set the suggested retail pricing of its Dolphin electric vehicle in Japan at 3.63 million yen ($24,565.20), its website showed on Wednesday. The automaker had already announced earlier this month it would start selling the Dolphin as its second EV model in Japan, after launching a more expensive electric sports utility vehicle earlier this year. A long-range version of the Dolphin has a suggested retail pricing of 4.07 million yen, the company said. ($1 = 147.7700 yen)Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Athit, Daniel Leussink, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, BYD, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, Japan, China

☆ What industry experts, leaders say about the autoworkers' strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

SAM FIORANI, PRODUCTION FORECASTER AT AUTO FORECAST SOLUTIONS:"This is more of a symbolic strike than an actual damaging one ... DEMOCRATIC U.S. REPRESENTATIVE ELISSA SLOTKIN OF MICHIGAN:"I'm looking forward to joining our auto workers on the picket line this weekend. DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT:"The all Electric (car) is a disaster for both the United Auto Workers and the American Consumer. The targeted strike is intended to give UAW flexibility strike fund duration." SUZANNE CLARK, CEO OF US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE"The UAW strike and indeed the 'summer of strikes' is the natural result of the Biden administration's 'whole of government' approach to promoting unionization at all costs."

Persons: MARY BARRA, who's, we've, Shawn, Fain, DAN IVES, KOJI ENDO, LEE JAE, ARTHUR WHEATON, It's, ELISSA SLOTKIN, JAY TIMMONS, MONICA BOSIO, Stellantis, MARTINO, AMBROGGI, DONALD TRUMP, CHRIS MCNALLY, COLIN LANGAN, AT WELLS, PATRICK ANDERSON, JOHN MURPHY, Ford, ROBERT STREDA, DBRS, SUZANNE CLARK, Biden, Joseph White, David Shepardson, Trevor Hunnicutt, Peter Henderson, Heekyong Yang, Daniel Leussink, Giulio Piovaccari, Mehr Bedi, Medha Singh, Anne Marie Roantree, Jamie Freed, Savio D'Souza, Arun Koyyur Organizations: United Auto Workers, UAW, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Ford Bronco, Chevrolet, CNBC, GM, SBI, EUGENE, South, CORNELL SCHOOL, Company, DEMOCRATIC U.S, ELISSA SLOTKIN OF, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, American Consumer, ISI, AT, Detroit, Thomson Locations: Chevrolet Colorado, Detroit, United States, ELISSA SLOTKIN OF MICHIGAN, China, Washington, San Francisco, Seoul, Tokyo, Milan, Bengaluru

☆ Toyota says plant shutdown last week due to server malfunction
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Toyota logo is seen during the New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 5, 2023. "The system was restored after the data was transferred to a server with a larger capacity," Toyota said. The issue occurred following regular maintenance work on the servers, the company said, adding that it would review its maintenance procedures. Two people with knowledge of the matter had told Reuters the malfunction occurred during an update of the automaker's parts ordering system. Toyota restarted operations at its assembly plants in its home market on Wednesday last week, a day after the malfunction occurred.

Persons: David, Dee, Delgado, Daniel Leussink, Edmund Klamann Organizations: New York, REUTERS, Rights, Toyota, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Japan

☆ China's BYD adds second model to Japan EV line-up
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

YOKOHAMA, Sept 1 (Reuters) - China's BYD (002594.SZ) on Friday said it will start selling its second electric vehicle model in Japan this month, as it seeks to secure a foothold in a market that has given rise to some of the world's best-selling auto brands. BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, will also announce Dolphin pricing on that date. A spokesperson declined to disclose how many vehicles it needed to sell in Japan each year to be profitable. This year, its Japan unit signed a car dealership contract with Japanese trading house Sojitz (2768.T). ($1 = 7.2582 Chinese yuan renminbi)($1 = 145.6700 yen)Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: BYD, Daniel Leussink, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Japan, Thomson Locations: YOKOHAMA, Japan, China, The Shenzhen, Yokohama

☆ Tesla releases refreshed Model 3 with longer driving range in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Visitors check a Tesla Model 3 car at a showroom of the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker in Beijing, China February 4, 2023. The updated version of the Model 3 was Tesla's first new or restyled car since it launched its global best-seller, the Model Y, in 2020. The new Model 3 promises a longer driving range for China, according to the company's website. Reuters first reported last November that Tesla was developing a revamped version of the Model 3 in a project codenamed "Highland". In China, the new Model 3 starts at 259,900 yuan ($35,807.78), the company's website showed on Friday.

Persons: Florence Lo, Tesla, Zhang Yan, Hyunjoo Jin, Daniel Leussink Brenda Goh, Christian Schmollinger, Kevin Krolicki Organizations: Tesla, U.S, REUTERS, Rights, EV, China Passenger Car Association, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Europe, East, Australia, Japan, Shanghai, Fremont , California, Munich

A Toyota logo is seen during the New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 5, 2023. Toyota, which restarted operations at its Japanese assembly plants on Wednesday, has seen production recovering this year. The company said its global sales had risen 8% in July from the same month a year earlier to a record 859,506 vehicles. It also reported a 15% increase in global production in that month. Toyota's global production is likely to reach around 10.2 million vehicles this year, topping 10 million for the first time, Nikkei reported late on Wednesday.

Persons: David, Dee, Delgado, Maki Shiraki, Daniel Leussink, David Dolan, Christopher Cushing, David Holmes Organizations: New York, REUTERS, Rights, Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota, Lexus, Nikkei, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Japan, China, United States, Europe

☆ 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 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

☆ EV battery imports face scrutiny under US law on Chinese forced labor
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

More than a year of enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) has already stymied development of solar energy projects as detained panel shipments languish in U.S. warehouses. When shipments are detained, CBP provides the importer with a list of examples of products from previous reviews and the kind of documentation required to prove they are not made with forced labor, CBP told Reuters. "The timing of these changes does not reflect any specific changes in strategy or operations," a CBP spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the list of eight product types was "not exhaustive." In a report to Congress last month on UFLPA enforcement, CBP listed lithium-ion batteries, tires, "and other automobile components" among the "potential risk areas" it was monitoring. The stepped-up focus on automakers follows a study by Britain's Sheffield Hallam University published in December that said nearly every major automaker has exposure to products made with forced labor in Xinjiang.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Mark Schiefelbein, Dan Solomon, Chevalier, Solomon, Britain's, Ron Wyden, Wyden, we've, Tesla, Brandon Daniels, Nichola Groom, David Shepardson, Jan Schwartz, Daniel Leussink, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Reuters, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, Beijing, Uyghur, Labor, U.S . Solar Energy Industries Association, Biden, CBP, Miller, Britain's Sheffield Hallam University, U.S, Senate, Benz, Volkswagen, Friedrichshafen AG, Bosch, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Continental AG, Thomson Locations: United States, Diaoyutai, Beijing, China, Xinjiang, U.S, Detroit, UFLPA, Los Angeles, Washington, Hamburg, Tokyo

Nissan late last month upgraded its full-year operating profit forecast, raising it by 30 billion yen ($208 million) to 550 billion yen. About 20 billion yen of that came from the currency, CFO Stephen Ma told a briefing. At smaller Subaru (7270.T), a move of one yen against the dollar has a 20 billion yen impact on operating profit, CFO Katsuyuki Mizuma said earlier this month. On Wednesday, a Honda official said its April-June operating profit came in tens of billions of yen higher than expected, with the weak yen accounting for about half of that. It is unclear how long the weak yen will last.

Persons: Aly, Satoru Aoyama, Stephen Ma, Katsuyuki Mizuma, Eisuke Sakakibara, Mizuma, Daniel Leussink, David Dolan, Toby Chopra Organizations: Auto, REUTERS, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Fitch, Japan, U.S . Federal Reserve, Subaru, Lexus, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Auto Shanghai, Shanghai, China, Asia, Europe, CHINA

☆ Indonesia says Mitsubishi Motors plans to invest $375 mln in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man walks near Mitsubishi cars as he visits Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Japan October 24, 2019. "We are optimistic that, if implemented, this can boost investment and increase demand to use EVs," Agus said. A Mitsubishi spokesperson said executives from its Tokyo headquarters on Wednesday met with Agus for talks, declining to comment further. Mitsubishi reported combined retail and wholesale sales in the ASEAN region of 120,000 vehicles for the three months to June 30, dropping 1.6% from a year earlier. In Thailand, its retail and wholesale sales slumped to 17,000 units during that period, down from 25,000 a year earlier.

Persons: Soe Zeya, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Agus, Bernadette Christina, Fransiska, Rocky Swift, Daniel Leussink, Louise Heavens, David Evans Organizations: Mitsubishi, Tokyo Motor, REUTERS, Mitsubishi Motors, Wednesday, Japan's Nikkei, Guangzhou Automobile Group, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, JAKARTA, Indonesia, Thailand, China, ASEAN, Jakarta

☆ Honda posts 78% jump in Q1 operating profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The Honda logo is displayed at the 44th Bangkok International Motor Show in Bangkok, Thailand, March 23, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File PhotoCompanies Honda Motor Co Ltd FollowTOKYO, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Japan's Honda Motor (7267.T) reported a 78% rise in quarterly profit on Wednesday, boosted by both increased sales, especially in the North American market, and a weaker yen. Japan's second-biggest automaker by sales said operating profit totalled 394.4 billion yen ($2.76 billion) in the three months through June, handily beating the average 324.74 billion yen estimate in a poll of 10 analysts by Refinitiv. That compared with a 222.2 billion yen profit in the same period last year. Honda maintained its forecast for a 1.0 trillion yen operating profit for the current year, lower than the 1.117 trillion yen average forecast from 22 analysts.

Persons: Athit, Japan's, Daniel Leussink, David Dolan, Chang, Ran Kim Organizations: REUTERS, Honda Motor, Honda, Refinitiv, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, American

☆ Toyota revamps iconic Land Cruiser with hybrid version
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Toyota Motor Corp.'s new Land Cruiser is pictured at its unveiling event in Tokyo, Japan August 2, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo via REUTERSCompanies Toyota Motor Corp FollowTOKYO, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Toyota (7203.T) on Wednesday unveiled the first hybrid version of its Land Cruiser that it will bring to North America and other key markets as it seeks to put a high-margin and iconic sports utility vehicle back on the map. Land Cruiser models are relatively big cars that come with a higher profitability for Toyota, just as is the case for some other models such as its Alphard van, said Seiji Sugiura, an analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute. The new Land Cruiser will become available in Japan in the first half of 2024, and come to the United States in the spring of that year, Toyota said, adding that suggested retail pricing in the United States will start in the mid-$50,000 range. Toyota said it will offer gasoline and diesel-powered versions of the new Land Cruiser in markets such as Western and Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and also bring a smaller Land Cruiser version to Japan in the winter. The Land Cruiser and the Lexus LX and GX, which are luxury SUVs, have together sold 11.3 million units as of the end of last month, Toyota said.

Persons: Hiroki Nakajima, Seiji Sugiura, Sugiura, Daniel Leussink, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Toyota Motor Corp, Kyodo, REUTERS Companies Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota, Wednesday, Cruiser, North, Cruisers, Tokai Tokyo Research Institute, Lexus, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, North America, United States, Eastern Europe

☆ Major global firms warn of slow China sales as post-pandemic surge fades
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Aug 2 (Reuters) - From consumer goods giant Unilever (ULVR.L) to automaker Nissan (7201.T) and machinery maker Caterpillar (CAT.N), global firms have warned of slowing earnings in China as the world's second-largest economy loses its post-pandemic bounce. A continued rebound has been limited to a handful of sectors such as dining and luxury goods, driving double-digit China sales growth for the likes of Starbucks (SBUX.O) and LVMH (LVMH.PA). Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) cut its full-year sales target last week due to a sales dip in China, its top market. "Unfortunately, our (China) sales outlook is now falling far below our production capacity," Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said last week. "We mentioned during our last earnings call that we expected sales in China to be below the typical 5% to 10% of our enterprise sales.

Persons: Graeme Pitkethly, we're, Makoto Uchida, Jim Umpleby, Jacob Stausholm, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Jean, Jacques Guiony, Mimosa Spencer, Sophie Yu, Brenda Goh, Richa Naidu, Melanie Burton, Daniel Leussink, Victoria Waldersee, Miranda Murray, Rishav Chatterjee, Deborah Sophia, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Yuvraj Malik, Miyoung Kim, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Unilever, Nissan, Caterpillar, Starbucks, Procter, Gamble, L'Oreal, Global, Volkswagen, Samsung, SK Hynix, Apple, Rio Tinto, Tinto, Yum, HK, KFC, Kailyn, Thomson Locations: China, KS, Rio, Yum China, Kailyn Rhone, New York, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Victoria, Berlin, Bengaluru

☆ Toyota nearly doubles Q1 profit, China remains challenging
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The world's top-selling automaker said operating profit for the three months through June totalled 1.12 trillion yen ($7.85 billion), an increase of 94% from a year earlier, beating the average 945.22 billion yen profit estimate in a poll of 10 analysts by Refinitiv. Last year's operating profit was 578.66 billion yen in the first quarter. Toyota maintained its forecast for a 3.0 trillion yen profit for the current year, as the conditions it faced had not changed greatly from three months earlier. That forecast compared to a 3.6 trillion yen average forecast from 23 analysts. In North America, another key market, Toyota said it had benefited from pent-up demand among consumers as the impact of a post-pandemic chip shortage wanes.

Persons: Daniel Leussink, David Dolan, Miral Organizations: Toyota, Refinitiv, Lexus, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China, North America, Japan

☆ Toyota to boost EV development and technology in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, July 31 (Reuters) - Toyota (7203.T) will strengthen its development of electric vehicle technology in China, the automaker said on Monday, as it looks to catch up with increasingly tough domestic competition in the world's largest auto market. The move is the latest from the world's top selling carmaker that shows a sharper pivot to electric vehicles. It recently detailed an ambitious new EV strategy that includes an overhaul of its supply chain and the development of long-range batteries. Toyota said on Monday it would accelerate powertrain development with suppliers Denso (6902.T) and Aisin (7259.T) as well as local design and development of "smart cockpits" that meet the needs of the Chinese market. It will strengthen development of battery-powered vehicles, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and fuel cell cars in China in order to achieve carbon neutrality through a "multi-pathway"-based approach, it said.

Persons: Daniel Leussink, David Dolan Organizations: Toyota, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China

☆ Panasonic Q1 profit rises 42%, in line with market expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, July 31 (Reuters) - Japan's Panasonic Holdings (6752.T) on Monday posted a 42% rise in first-quarter profit to 90.37 billion yen ($636 million), largely matching analysts' estimates. Operating profit for the three months to end-June compared with an average estimate of 91.18 billion yen in a poll of 11 analysts by Refinitiv and a 63.7 billion yen operating profit in the same period a year earlier. ($1 = 142.0400 yen)Reporting by Daniel Leussink; editing by David DolanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Daniel Leussink, David Dolan Organizations: Japan's Panasonic Holdings, Refinitiv, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ Panasonic Q1 profit jumps, maintains FY forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Panasonic, whose energy unit makes batteries for Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), said operating profit came to 90.37 billion yen ($637 million) in the three months to end-June, versus the 91.18 billion yen average forecast in a poll of 11 analysts by Refinitiv. Its battery unit, Panasonic Energy, and Subaru (7270.T) said they have started talks to establish a battery supply partnership for electric vehicles that would supply the Japanese automaker with cylindrical lithium-ion batteries. Panasonic, whose products span consumer electronics and delivery robots to sensing cameras and self-checkout systems, maintained its full-year forecast at 430 billion yen. That compared to a 413.96 billion yen average profit forecast in a poll of 20 analysts by Refinitiv. ($1 = 141.9500 yen)Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by David DolanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Daniel Leussink, David Dolan Organizations: Japan's Panasonic Holdings, Panasonic, Tesla Inc, Refinitiv, Panasonic Energy, Subaru, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ Toyota's global sales rise 5.1% to 4.9 mln in first half of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The company sold some 4.9 million vehicles globally in the six months through June, including of its luxury Lexus brand, compared with about 4.7 million vehicles during the same period in 2022. Toyota's sales in Japan jumped 33.2% to 878,215 units in the period versus a year earlier, while U.S. sales slipped 0.7% to just over 1 million vehicles and those in Asia declined half a percent to about 1.5 million units. Global sales of hybrid electric vehicles grew 37.6% year-on-year to 292,131 units, accounting for just under a third of the total number of vehicles sold worldwide last month. In June, Toyota sold 10,191 battery electric vehicles worldwide, including its Lexus brand, with about 5,000 of those sold in China. That brought the total number of battery-powered vehicles sold in the first half of 2023 to 46,171 units.

Persons: Daniel Leussink, Jacqueline Wong, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota Motor, Lexus, Global, Toyota, Thomson Locations: Japan, Asia, United States, Europe, China

☆ Fire on car carrier ablaze off Dutch coast now less intense
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, July 28 (Reuters) - The fire which has been burning on a car carrier off the Dutch coast has lessened in intensity and salvagers have been able to board the ship to secure stronger tow lines, authorities said on Friday. Smoke rises as a fire broke out on the cargo ship Fremantle Highway, at sea on July 26, 2023. The Dutch coastguard said on its website on Thursday that the cause of the fire was unknown, but an emergency responder is heard in a recording released by Dutch broadcaster RTL saying, "The fire started in the battery of an electric car". An investigation has been launched by the Panama Maritime Authority and the Netherlands is assisting the inquiry, the Dutch Safety Board has said. The 199-metre (653-ft) Fremantle is drifting about 17 km from the northernmost Dutch coast, the coastguard said.

Persons: Miranda Murry, Daniel Leussink, Geert De Clercq, Marine Strauss, Anthony Deutsch, Tassilo Hummel, Philippa Fletcher, Leslie Adler Organizations: Panamanian, Fremantle Highway, Fremantle, Ship, Coastguard, REUTERS, K Line, Kawasaki, Dutch coastguard, RTL, Panama Maritime Authority, Dutch Safety, coastguard, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Coastguard Netherlands, Dutch, Netherlands, Fremantle, Germany, Egypt, Wadden, Denmark

☆ Carrier ablaze off Dutch coast carrying almost 500 electric cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, July 28 (Reuters) - The car carrier burning off the Dutch coast since Tuesday night is carrying nearly 500 electric vehicles, ship charter company "K" Line said on Friday, significantly more than the 25 initially reported by the coastguard. There were 3,783 vehicles on board, including 498 battery electric vehicles, a Tokyo-based spokesperson for K Line (Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha), which had chartered the vessel, said. He declined to say anything about the car brands, including whether or not it included any cars from Japanese manufacturers. An investigation has been launched by the Panama Maritime Authority and the Netherlands is assisting the inquiry, the Dutch Safety Board has said. The 199-metre (653 ft) Fremantle, which is still burning, is drifting about 17 km from the northernmost Dutch coast, the coastguard said.

Persons: Miranda Murry, Daniel Leussink, Marine Strauss, Anthony Deutsch, Tassilo Hummel, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: coastguard, Panamanian, Fremantle Highway, K Line, Kawasaki, RTL, Panama Maritime Authority, Dutch Safety, Fremantle, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Tokyo, Dutch, Netherlands, Germany, Egypt, Wadden, Denmark

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