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☆ Toyota unveils the retro-styled return of the Land Cruiser
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Just three years after being discontinued in North America, the Toyota Land Cruiser is coming back — with an all-new, retro-styled design. The Toyota Land Cruiser has its own similarly passionate fan base. ToyotaFor those who really want to tap into Land Cruiser history, customers in the United States will be offered the Land Cruiser 1958 Edition, commemorating the year the model was first offered in the United States. The Toyota Land Cruiser 1958 edition has round headlights. In many parts of the world, especially in places where roads are poor and service centers scarce, Toyota Land Cruisers have become ubiquitous.

Persons: New York CNN —, Ford, It’s, Kurt Williams, Williams, ‘, ’ ”, “, ’, Brian Rabold Organizations: New, New York CNN, Toyota, Cruiser, Lexus, . Engineers, Land Cruiser Heritage Museum, Toyota Land Cruisers, Cruisers Locations: New York, North America, United States, Salt Lake City, America, Australia

☆ 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

☆ Most cars still cost more to charge than to fill up with gas
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

While charging and fueling trucks cost the same, other cars and their electric counterparts differ. It's not yet cheaper to charge some electric cars than to fuel them with gas, a new study suggests. It's not yet cheaper to charge many electric cars than it would be to fuel their gas-powered counterparts up with gas, a new study indicates. Trucks cost about the same to fuel and charge, while entry and midlevel cars and SUVs cost more to charge at home and in public than they do to fuel at a gas station, the group found. Luxury-segment EVs may cost less to charge at home than their gas counterparts would cost to fuel.

Persons: Kelley, that's, Kia Forte, it's, Bolt, Kia, Kia EV6 Organizations: Anderson Economic, Trucks, Ford Trucks, Ford, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC, Chevrolet, Nissan Versa, Hyundai, Nissan, Mercedes, Benz, Lexus, Porsche Macan, Porsche, Volkswagen, Nissan Altima, Subaru

☆ 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

☆ Women's sports are surging in popularity and driving record World Cup viewership. Here are the top 10 advertisers cashing in.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Margaret Fleming | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Women's World Cup is a big focus for brands to reach a growing audience. The US Women's National Team's latest Women's World Cup match against the Netherlands drew record viewership on July 26, with around 6.4 million viewers. Most of those eyeballs came from the NCAA women's basketball tournament, for which the company had 141 million household views. The Women's World Cup, which kicked off July 20 in Australia and New Zealand, offers another significant opportunity for companies to reach the growing audience of women's sports fans. July 28, 2023: This story has been updated to reflect viewership for the latest USWNT match in the Women's World Cup.

Persons: it's, Jeff Kearney, Buick, Molly Peck, Peck, Marisstella Marinkovic, Ally Organizations: Buick, Nissan, US, Fox Sports, WNBA, NWSL, Gatorade, Lexus, DIRECTV, Armour, Nielsen Sports, NCAA, ESPN, Ally, Google, Nike, Subway, Volkswagen Locations: Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Wells Fargo

☆ The 10 biggest brands advertising in women's sports as viewership reaches new heights and the World Cup takes center stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Margaret Fleming | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Women's World Cup is a big focus for brands to reach a growing audience. The first match of US Women's National Team in the Women's World Cup averaged an audience of 5.3 million viewers on July 21, according to the Associated Press. The AP reported that viewership increased 99% from the team's first match of the 2019 World Cup, per Fox and Nielsen. Most of those eyeballs came from the NCAA women's basketball tournament, for which the company had 141 million household views. The Women's World Cup, which kicked off July 20 in Australia and New Zealand, offers another significant opportunity for companies to reach the growing audience of women's sports fans.

Persons: it's, Jeff Kearney, Buick, Molly Peck, Peck, Marisstella Marinkovic, Ally Organizations: Buick, Nissan, Women's National Team, Associated Press, AP, Fox, Nielsen, WNBA, NWSL, Gatorade, Lexus, DIRECTV, Armour, Nielsen Sports, NCAA, ESPN, Ally, Google, Nike, Subway, Volkswagen Locations: Australia, New Zealand, Wells Fargo

But even though the scam targeted Morgan Stanley clients and the advisor admitted using a Morgan Stanley product to carry it out, the firm has fought efforts to hold it responsible. "So, effectively, Morgan Stanley is lending money to the victims of this scheme and that money then gets diverted into Shawn Good's pocket," Easley said. Morgan Stanley, which topped earnings expectations Tuesday thanks in large part to its wealth management business, declined an interview request. But more important than all of that, she said, was that he worked for Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley was among 16 firms charged, all admitting they violated federal securities laws.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Caitlin Andrews, It's, Shawn Edward Good, Good, Shawn Good, Michael F, Easley Jr, Shawn Good's, Easley, pilfered, Marc Fitapelli, Andrews, Fitapelli, Charles Hayward of, whatever's, Hayward, CNBC Andrews, I've, Caitlin, Louis Straney, Romeo Stelvio, Straney, Morgan Stanley's Organizations: Prosecutors, CNBC, Destiny, Easley, Eastern, Raleigh, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, IRS, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigators, Lexus, Porsche, Tesla, Securities and Exchange, SEC Locations: Carolina Beach , North Carolina, Morgan Stanley's Wilmington, North Carolina, of North Carolina, New York, Charles Hayward of Wilmington, Santa Fe , New Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Wilmington, N.C

☆ JD Power quality survey: Alfa Romeo takes top spot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

This time it was Alfa Romeo, an Italian car with a reputation for excitement – but not necessarily trouble-free ownership. Alfa Romeo leaped 24 places in the rankings to third overall, with 143 problems per 100 vehicles. Not every Stellantis brand ranked near the top, though, or even close. Last year, four Stellantis brands, including Ram and Alfa Romeo, were below average. Even if Alfa Romeo has improved enormously, it will be a long while before those scores changes much.

Persons: CNN —, Romeo, it’s, Alfa Romeo, Stellantis’s Dodge, Ram, Romeo Giulia Stellantis JD Power’s, doesn’t, Kristin Kolodge, Power, David McDonald, Larry Dominique, ” Organizations: CNN, Lexus, Alfa, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, France’s PSA, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Consumer Locations: Italian, Stellantis, North America

☆ Technology is giving cars more nagging problems than ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Alexa St. John | Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Auto research firm JD Power assessed dozens of vehicle brands for its latest quality study. The overall quality of new vehicles is deteriorating and nagging problems are on the rise, according to a new study from JD Power. "The basic touch point of door handles is now a percolating problem area as manufacturers attempt to redesign them," JD Power said. JD Power assigned a score to each auto brand based on problems per 100 vehicles, and calculated an industry average of 192 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), up from 180 in 2022. In terms of vehicles themselves, the Nissan Maxima had the highest initial quality overall, with 106 problems per 100 vehicles, according to teh survey.

Persons: Tesla, Dodge, Frank Hanley, Power, JD Power, Ram, Alfa Romeo, Polestar Organizations: Auto, JD Power, Fiat Chrysler, French PSA Group, Buick, Chevrolet, Volvo, Chrysler, Volkswagen, Nissan, JD, Dodge, Romeo, GMC, Porsche, Kia, Lexus, Maserati, Hyundai, Honda, BMW, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Ford, Benz, Rover, Mazda, Acura, Lincoln

☆ The best car brands of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Consumer Reports released a list of top car brands Thursday. Consumer Reports released its list of the top car brands for 2023 on Thursday. Taking the bottom five spots are Mitsubishi, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Jeep, and Land Rover, with Land Rover at the very bottom. Consumer Reports ranked brands first by determining a road-test score using braking, handling, comfort, convenience, and fuel economy evaluations. The other domestic brands fell in the bottom-third of the rankings.

Persons: Alfa Romeo, Dodge, Genesis, Tesla Organizations: BMW, Land Rover, Consumer, Subaru, Lexus, Honda, Rover, Consumer Reports, Ford, GM, Fiat Chrysler, French PSA Group, Lincoln, Chrysler, Pacifica, Toyota, Kia, Mazda, Audi, Acura, Buick, Hyundai, Porsche, Dodge, Tesla, Infiniti, Volkswagen, Volvo, Nissan, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Benz, GMC, Mitsubishi, Alfa, Jeep

The plan comes a day before an annual shareholders meeting where governance and strategy - including a slow pivot to battery EVs under former CEO Akio Toyoda - will be scrutinised. Toyota said it aims to launch next-generation lithium-ion batteries from 2026 offering longer ranges and quicker charging. At the high end of the market, Toyota said it would produce an EV with a more efficient lithium-ion battery offering a range of 1,000 km (621 miles). An EV powered by a solid-state battery would have a range of 1,200 km and charging time of just 10 minutes, Toyota said. "What we want to achieve is to change the future with BEVs," Takero Kato, president of new Toyota EV unit BEV Factory, said in a video posted on the automaker's YouTube channel on Tuesday.

Persons: Akio Toyoda, Koji Sato, Takero Kato, BEV Factory, Henry Ford, Koji Endo, Toyota's, I'm, it's, Toyota's BEV Factory, Kato, Tesla, Daniel Leussink, Christopher Cushing, Kevin Krolicki Organizations: Toyota, EVs, Tesla, Engineers, Toyota EV, YouTube, NEW ASSEMBLY, SBI Securities, Lexus, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China

The Japanese carmaker said it aims to launch next-generation batteries from 2026, seeking to win over consumers with vehicles that offer longer driving ranges and quicker charging times. It also said it was developing a method to mass produce solid-state batteries, which it aims to commercialise in 2027-2028. The automaker said it would produce an EV with a more efficient lithium-ion battery which would have a range of 1,000 km (621 miles). "We will launch the next-generation battery EVs globally and as a full lineup on the market from 2026," Kato said. Toyota also detailed other technologies that it plans to deploy to reduce costs for its EVs and batteries.

Persons: Takero Kato, BEV Factory, Kato, Tesla, Daniel Leussink, Christopher Cushing, Kevin Krolicki Organizations: Toyota, EVs, Tesla, Toyota EV, YouTube, U.S, Lexus, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ When Will Gas Prices Go Down?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

Gas price outlook for 2023When you venture out during the summer travel season, expect gas prices to remain steady through September—mostly due to overseas economic pressures. “When per-barrel prices go up, gas prices go up. By that time, the EIA estimates gas prices will drop to roughly $3.09 per gallon—a near-50-cent price break from today’s prices. Other factors affecting gas pricesWhile supply and demand are the leading factors that dictate oil and gas prices, they aren’t the only players. The Google Maps app also has a gas pump icon under the main search bar that will highlight local gas prices.

Persons: ”, Stuart Katz, Robertson Stephens, “, we’ve, John LaForge, Barack Obama, Biden, Katz, — you’ll Organizations: U.S . Energy Information Administration, Organization of, Petroleum, Energy, Wells, Wells Fargo Investment Institute, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Bush, Hurricane, International Energy Agency, Treasury Department, State Tax Gas, of, PayPal, Google, Gas, Shell, Exxon, Mobil, Consumer, Lexus, Ford, University of California Locations: Ukraine, Russia, China, Wells Fargo, Persian, West Coast, California, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Washington, Hawaii, Illinois, Alaska, New Jersey, Connecticut, Los Angeles

Toyota shares closed up 3.4%, outperforming the 1.2% gain in the Nikkei index (.N225). BOARD INDEPENDENCENew York City Comptroller Brad Lander said in a statement the Toyota board was not adequately independent. The New York comptroller's office oversees a pension system with $243 billion in assets under management. Those funds held 6.7 million shares in Toyota Group companies, including Toyota Boshoku (3116.T) and Toyota Tsusho (8015.T) as of end March. The New York pension system has also urged both Ford (F.N) and General Motors (GM.N) to move rapidly toward electrification and to disclose more about their lobbying on vehicle standards.

Persons: Akio Toyoda, Glass Lewis, Toyoda, CalPERS, Brad Lander, Daniel Leussink, David Dolan, Maki Shiraki, Kevin Krolicki, Jamie Freed, Christopher Cushing, Leslie Adler Organizations: Toyota Motor Corp, California Public Employees, New York, Toyota, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Nikkei, The, Toyota Group, Ford, General Motors, Lexus, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, New York City, York, Tokyo

One of them, Glass Lewis, recommended shareholders vote against re-electing Toyoda, citing what it said was his responsibility for the lack of a sufficiently independent board. CalPERS, which declined to comment, is the largest U.S. public pension fund with some $450 billion in assets under management. The New York City pension funds held 6.7 million shares in Toyota Group companies, including Toyota Boshoku (3116.T) and Toyota Tsusho (8015.T) as of end March. BOARD INDEPENDENCENew York City Comptroller Brad Lander said the Toyota board was not adequately independent, in a statement explaining the vote by the funds it oversees. The New York pension system has also urged both Ford (F.N) and General Motors (GM.N) to move rapidly toward electrification and to disclose more about their lobbying on vehicle standards.

Persons: Akio Toyoda, Glass Lewis, Toyoda, CalPERS, Brad Lander, Daniel Leussink, David Dolan, Maki Shiraki, Kevin Krolicki, Jamie Freed, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Toyota Motor Corp, California Public Employees, New York, Toyota, Tokyo Stock Exchange, The, New, Toyota Group, Nikkei, Ford, General Motors, Lexus, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, New York City, York, Tokyo

Companies Toyota Motor Corp FollowTOKYO, May 31 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Wednesday that information on customers in some countries in Oceana and Asia, excluding Japan, may have been left publicly accessible from October 2016 to May 2023. Toyota is investigating the issue based on the laws and regulations of each country, a company spokesperson said. Toyota did not say how many customers were affected by the incident, in which countries they are located exactly, and whether customers of its luxury Lexus brand were affected. Only part of customers' information may have been externally accessible, the company said. The company initially uncovered the incident announced this month by chance, during inspections that started on April 7, the spokesperson said.

Persons: Daniel Leussink, Tom Hogue, Jacqueline Wong, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota Connected Corp, Toyota, Lexus, Thomson Locations: Oceana, Asia, Japan

☆ Toyota's April global sales rise on stronger demand in Japan, China
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Toyota Motor Corp FollowTOKYO, May 30 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp's (7203.T) global sales rose by nearly 5% in April from a year earlier, boosted by stronger demand for hybrids and gasoline-powered cars in Japan and China. The Japanese automaker also reported better overseas sales of battery electric vehicles (EVs), bringing the total number of battery-powered units it sold in the first four months of the year above last year's level. In China, Toyota saw sales jump 46.3% to 162,554 units in April compared to the same month a year earlier, rebounding from the previous year's pandemic-related hit. In April, the automaker sold 8,584 battery EVs worldwide, including its Lexus brand, accounting for more than 1% of its global sales in a single month for the first time. That brought the total number of battery-powered vehicles it sold in January-April to 26,057 units, higher than the 24,466 battery EVs the company sold in 2022.

☆ Fact Check-Original footage shows Dianne Feinstein returned to the Capitol in a sedan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Dianne Feinstein arriving at the U.S. Capitol in a silver sedan has been edited to make the car appear as a hearse, leaving some users online confused. “Why Dianne Feinstein riding around in a hearse?” said one user on Facebook (here). Reuters photographs also show Feinstein arriving and leaving the Capitol in the same sedan (here) and (here). The video clip has been altered to replace a silver sedan with a hearse. Images from Reuters and other credible sources show that Dianne Feinstein returned to the Capitol in a silver Lexus sedan.

[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's board on Wednesday recommended that shareholders vote against the resolution, to be put to the company's annual general meeting in June. On Wednesday Toyota said it expects a five-fold jump in pure electric vehicle (EV) sales this business year. "We need concrete policy changes and a better annual review drawing on independent data to calm international investors." LONG ENGAGEMENTIt will be the first time that Toyota faces such a climate-related resolution at its annual general meeting, the funds said. It first planned to submit a shareholder proposal in 2021, but withdrew that after it received assurances that Toyota would review its climate lobbying.

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.

☆ Toyota suspends sales of Yaris model after safety test problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BANGKOK, May 8 (Reuters) - Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) has stopped sales of its Yaris Ativ, a senior official said on Monday, after its affiliate Daihatsu rigged part of the door in side-collision safety tests. "If development had been carried out under appropriate conditions, this kind of problem would of course not have happened," Maeda said. Toyota and Daihatsu (6023.T) disclosed last month they were investigating how part of the door in side-collision safety tests carried out for some 88,000 small cars, most of which were Ativs, had been changed for the purpose of side-on crash safety testing. Thailand is Toyota's fourth-biggest global centre by production volume after Japan, the U.S. and China. It produced some 659,000 vehicles, including models of its luxury brand Lexus, in the country last year.

While other automakers like Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) have also been caught out by the sharp shift in China, Japanese automakers stand out because of their limited showing in the fast-growing category of electric and plug-in hybrid sales. Mitsubishi, like some other Japanese automakers, does not break out China sales figures. Industry data analysed by Reuters showed its first-quarter sales in China fell by 58% from a year earlier. Nissan Motor Co Ltd (7201.T) posted a 45.8% drop in China sales and Mazda Motor Corp (7261.T) sales were down 66.5% in the first quarter. "Japanese automakers could face a similar struggle in the United States as in China," he said.

☆ Toyota edges past 9.1 mln vehicle output goal, warns chip shortage lingering
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Toyota Motor Corp FollowTOKYO, April 27 (Reuters) - Japan's Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) set a global annual output record in the business year ended in March, just edging past its target of 9.1 million vehicles as factory disruption from global chip supply woes and pandemic lockdowns eased. But the world's biggest automaker by sales warned it continued to see impacts from the long-running global chip shortage, saying it remained hard to predict its effect going forward. Global sales for the 12 months ended March rose to 9.61 million vehicles from 9.51 million in the prior year, setting another annual record for the company. The company didn't release new sales or production targets for the current business year that started in April. That compared with 24,466 battery EVs sold by Toyota worldwide for the whole of 2022.

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