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☆ China's EV giant BYD in talks to acquire insurer Yi'an
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The BYD Atto 3 EV car is displayed at the 39 Thailand International Motor Expo, in Bangkok, Thailand, November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/FilesSHANGHAI, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant BYD said on Tuesday it is working on a potential acquisition of Yi'an P&C Insurance Co, an insurer that was seized by Chinese regulators two years ago as part of a crackdown on financial conglomerates. Chinese business publication Caixin reported earlier this month, citing unnamed sources, that BYD would fully take over the insurer and would use it to start an insurance business targeting electric vehicles. Yi'an P&C Insurance was among nine firms Chinese regulators seized from the Tomorrow Holdings conglomerate in July 2020. China banking and insurance regulator said last year it had agreed to allow Yi'an P&C Insurance to enter bankruptcy and reorganisation procedures.

☆ China's BYD dreams big in auto powerhouse Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

YOKOHAMA, Japan, Jan 31 (Reuters) - China's BYD Co Ltd (002594.SZ) unveiled its first dealership in Japan on Tuesday, taking on one of the biggest challenges in its explosive global rise as it seeks to win over customers deeply loyal to their own auto industry. BYD, an acronym which stands for Build Your Dreams, has ambitious plans to open more than 100 dealerships in Japan by the end of 2025. "If customers trust us and give BYD a try, we'll have a good chance (at succeeding)," BYD Auto Japan Inc President Atsuki Tofukuji told Reuters at a media event to mark the opening of its maiden outlet in Yokohama, Japan's second largest city. About 30 people have contacted the Yokohama dealership to enquire about the new cars, according to Kazuhisa Okamoto, who runs the store. ($1 = 130.39 yen)Reporting by Daniel Leussink; editing by John Geddie and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chinese EV giant BYD set for surge in 2022 profit as sales jump
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Chinese EV maker BYD's Seal is displayed at Tokyo Auto Salon 2023 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo, Japan, January 13, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File PhotoJan 30 (Reuters) - China's BYD Co , the world's biggest seller of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids, expects its 2022 net profit to be more than five times the amount it booked a year earlier, it said on Monday. With sales of 1.86 million cars, it expects a net profit of 16-17 billion yuan ($2.37-$2.52 billion) versus 3 billion in 2021, an exchange filing showed. The company said it had it achieved strong sales growth and significantly improved profitability and had "effectively relieved the cost pressure brought about by the rising upstreamraw material prices". ($1 = 6.7498 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh and Hong Kong newsroom; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

For the last three years, the 66-year-old has built up the "Toyota Times", hiring Japanese journalists and ramping up coverage of the company to counter what he sees as persistent misinformation and unfair criticism. "What I find unfortunate is that the media often thrives on conflict, setting BEVs against hybrids, for example," Toyoda said on the Toyota Times recently. After almost an hour of scripted presentations and banter, the Toyota Times host turned to questions from reporters. Toyoda has increasingly appeared to eschew traditional media as the company fell out of favour with environmentalists who once lauded its green technology. The Toyota Times also exclusively publishes the closely watched results of the company's spring wage negotiations with its union.

☆ Timeline: Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda to step down after 14 years at the helm
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here's a chronology of key events and milestones in Toyota's history under Toyoda, the 66-year-old grandson of the company's founder. "CRISIS AFTER CRISIS"In June 2009, Toyoda became the president of the company his grandfather Kiichiro founded in 1937, replacing Katsuaki Watanabe. Akio was the first member of Toyoda family to take the helm since 1995. The safety crisis, which forced Toyoda to testify before Congress in 2010, threatened Toyota’s reputation and continued success in its most profitable market. Toyoda said on Thursday his term at the helm started with "crisis after crisis."

The future of the Saarlouis site has been unclear since last June when Ford picked a site in Spain to assemble its next-generation electric vehicle (EV) over the German plant, which will stop producing its current model, the Ford Focus, from 2025. Separately, union representatives for Ford's largest German site in Cologne will meet with Ford's management on Saturday to negotiate on planned job cuts across Europe announced by management to workers on Monday. Management figures presented a worst-case scenario to 12,000 workers in a packed assembly hall of up to 2,500 job cuts in product development and a further 700 in administration. The carmaker has committed to an all-electric lineup in Europe by 2030 and its U.S. leadership has repeatedly flagged that EVs require less labour. Reporting by Victoria Waldersee and Christina Amann; Editing by Paul Carrel, Alexander Smith and Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ NYSE trading glitch, tons of earnings, a Dow comeback — listen to 'The Homestretch'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

WHAT'S NEW, WHAT'S HAPPENEDSINCE THE MORNING MEETING. THERE WAS SOMETHING SO CRAZY,WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET TO THEBOTTOM OF IT, WHICH JEFF WASJUST IN COMPUTER FAILURE. DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHO DID IT,BUT WE'VE GOT A LOT OF STOCKSTHAT WERE UP 10, DOWN 20. AND I THINK WHAT'S MOSTSIGNIFICANT RIGHT NOW IS THATTHE MIGHTY DOW HAS MADE ACOMEBACK FROM AN UGLY OPEN. I DO FEEL, HOWEVER, THAT THESTOCK IS NOT TO BE BOUGHT AHEADOF THE QUARTER, BECAUSE NOW ITSELLS AT 22 TIMES EARNINGS.

☆ China's BYD takes cautious approach to U.S. in global EV push
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Norihiko Shirouzu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] The logo of BYD is pictured at the 2022 Paris Auto Show in Paris, France October 17, 2022. While BYD has not fully articulated its global ambitions in public, a concerted worldwide push has become the single most important strategic focus for China's biggest EV maker, four sources familiar with BYD management's thinking said. "BYD is taking a cautious approach to the U.S.," the person said. "I would say BYD at this point is already better positioned than Tesla in the EV era." "America is going to be a key, key part of this global push strategy," one said.

☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, IBM, Amazon, Tesla, Exxon, Gap, Netflix & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Morgan Stanley upgrades Gap to equal weight from underweight Morgan Stanley said it sees more "upside than downside" for the stock. Morgan Stanley downgrades Skechers to equal weight from overweight Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock on valuation. Morgan Stanley names Apple a top 2023 pick Morgan Stanley said Apple is a "rare best-of-both worlds outperformer." Morgan Stanley names Amazon a top 2023 pick Morgan Stanley said Amazon is operating from a "leading e-commerce profit generating position." Morgan Stanley downgrades IBM to equal weight from overweight Morgan Stanley downgraded IBM and said "late cycle outperformance [has] runs its course."

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☆ 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.

☆ Not So Fast on Electric Cars
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Allysia Finley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda recently caused the climate lobby to blow a fuse by speaking a truth about battery electric vehicles that his fellow auto executives dare not. “Just like the fully autonomous cars that we were all supposed to be driving by now,” Mr. Toyoda said in Thailand, “I think BEVs are just going to take longer to become mainstream than the media would like us to believe.” He added that a “silent majority” in the auto industry share his view, “but they think it’s the trend, so they can’t speak out loudly.”The Biden administration seems to believe that millions of Americans will rush out to buy electric vehicles if only the government throws enough subsidies at them. Last year’s infrastructure bill included $7.5 billion in grants for states to expand their charging networks. But it’s a problem when even the states are warning the administration that electric vehicles aren’t ready to go mainstream.

☆ Honda to begin selling mini-commercial electric vans in spring 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co (7267.T) said on Wednesday it would begin selling micro-sized commercial electric vans in spring 2024, as part of its effort to electrify its vehicle lineups. Japanese automakers are turning to small commercial trucks as one way to make battery electric vehicles (BEVs) popular in the country, tapping into car size unique to the country amid pressure to slash its carbon footprint. Honda's electric van has a target cruising range of 200km (125 miles) and is seeking to set the price at around 1 million yen ($7,270). Commercial vehicle coalition CJPT, led by Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T), said in July it would develop small electric commercial vans with minivehicle specialists Daihatsu and Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T). Honda in April laid out goals of producing some 2 million electric vehicles a year and 30 electric vehicle models globally by 2030.

☆ China's BYD to start selling EVs in Japan by early 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Satoshi Sugiyama | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China's BYD, in which Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N) owns a stake, said it will roll out an electric sports utility vehicle, ATTO 3, in Japan starting Jan. 31. BYD's Japan chapter is planning to introduce two more models by the end of 2023 and more than 100 dealerships in Japan by the end of 2025, the company said. However, the share of the battery-driven vehicles is expected to grow, partly due to non-Japanese automakers like BYD and Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) making their way into the market. BYD's Japan division is planning to set up tentative retailers starting late January in 22 cities but is eager to cover all 47 prefectures, said Atsuki Tofukuji, BYD Auto Japan Inc chief executive. Japanese automakers have recently been criticised by activists and green investors, who slam them for not embracing battery electric vehicles fast enough.

☆ Toyota unveils new Prius hybrids amid skepticism of its EV strategy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The automaker late Tuesday revealed new versions of the Prius hybrid and Prius Prime, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. 2023 Toyota Prius hybrid ToyotaMoving forward with the Prius as other automakers vow to go all-electric in the years ahead is part of Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda's electrification strategy. Since the Prius launched in 1997, Toyota says it has sold more than 20 million electrified vehicles worldwide. The company says those sales have avoided 160 million tons of CO2 emissions, which is equivalent to the impact of 5.5 million all-electric battery vehicles. Interior of the 2023 Toyota Prius Toyota

☆ Exclusive: Automakers to double spending on EVs, batteries to $1.2 trillion by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Paul Lienert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

To put the figure in context, Alphabet (GOOGL.O), the parent company of Google and Waymo, has a market cap of $1.3 trillion. Automakers have forecast plans to build 54 million battery electric vehicles in 2030, representing more than 50% of total vehicle production, according to the analysis. To support that unprecedented level of EVs, carmakers and their battery partners are planning to install 5.8 terawatt-hours of battery production capacity by 2030, according to data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence and the manufacturers. Japan's Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) is investing $70 billion to electrify vehicles and produce more batteries, and expects to sell at least 3.5 million battery electric models (BEVs) in 2030. It plans at least 30 different BEVs and expects to transition the entire Lexus range to battery electric over that span.

☆ Toyota to produce electric car powered by BYD batteries in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) announced on Monday the launch of a small electric sedan, which will be powered by BYD Co (002594.SZ) batteries and will be produced and sold in China. The Japanese automaker said the car would be called the Toyota bZ3. It is the second model in the new Beyond Zero (bZ) series of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from Toyota, which has been criticised by activists and green investors for not embracing BEVs quickly enough. The bZ3 was developed jointly by Toyota and BYD, Toyota said on Monday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Norihiko Shirouzu and Ella Cao Editing by David Goodman and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Automakers to double spending on EVs, batteries to $1.2 trillion by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Paul Lienert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterAutomakers have forecast plans to build 54 million battery electric vehicles in 2030, representing more than 50% of total vehicle production, according to the analysis. To support that unprecedented level of EVs, carmakers and their battery partners are planning to install 5.8 terawatt-hours of battery production capacity by 2030, according to data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence and the manufacturers. Leading the charge is Tesla (TSLA.O), where Chief Executive Elon Musk has outlined an audacious plan to build 20 million EVs in 2030, requiring an estimated 3 terawatt-hours of batteries. Japan's Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) is investing $70 billion to electrify vehicles and produce more batteries, and expects to sell at least 3.5 million battery electric models (BEVs) in 2030. It plans at least 30 different BEVs and expects to transition the entire Lexus range to battery electric over that span.

☆ Goldman Sachs favors Tesla and another big automaker even during an economic slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Goldman Sachs raised its forecasts for electric car sales and believes Tesla and General Motors will benefit from the trend. The Inflation Reduction Act , signed by President Joe Biden in August, will benefit carmakers such as Tesla and GM with $7,500 worth of tax credits per car, according to Goldman. Goldman said it now expects Tesla to make 2.4 million cars worldwide in 2024, up from its previous forecast of 2.275 million. According to the report, the tax credits will also benefit GM and Ford , although only "slightly." Housing sales figures, which are also strongly correlated to vehicle sales, point toward a gloomy picture , according to Goldman.

☆ Toyota to start selling small electric sedan in China by year-end - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Norihiko Shirouzu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The first bZ car - the bZ4X sport-utility vehicle - was to hit the market in China earlier this year, but a global recall of the car forced Toyota to suspend production of the model globally. The car is roughly the same size as Toyota's Corolla model but with a bigger back-seat section, the sources said. There are no plans for Toyota's other joint venture with GAC Motor to produce the bZ3, the three sources said. Toyota has long advocated a small car that does not compromise on comfort as the best way to popularise BEVs, but it has struggled to produce one. The bZ3's smaller sedan configuration has become feasible chiefly because of BYD's thinner lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) Blade battery technology.

☆ U.S. Postal Service to boost electric delivery vehicle purchases
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Postal Service (USPS) said Wednesday it plans to buy at least 25,000 electric delivery vehicles - more than twice its prior estimate - as it works to replace an aging fleet. USPS told Reuters it is proposing to purchase at least 25,000 EVs out of its initial order of 50,000 next-generation delivery vehicles from Oshkosh Defense (OSK.N). That's up from USPS' prior plan to buy at least 10,019 EVs, or about 20% of the first order. USPS also plans to buy more than 34,500 commercial off-the-shelf delivery vehicles over two years. Last month, the company told Reuters it expected to raise the number of EVs as it supplemented its environmental impact statement (EIS).

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