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☆ Powell duped by Russian pranksters who claimed to be Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Christina Wilkie | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell spoke by phone with two Russian pranksters earlier this year who falsely claimed to be President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. "Chair Powell participated in a conversation in January with someone who misrepresented himself as the Ukrainian president," a Fed spokesperson told CNBC on Thursday. The video appears to have been edited, the Fed spokesperson said, adding that they could not confirm the video's accuracy. Powell does not appear to have said anything controversial during his call with the Zelenskyy impersonators, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the prank. Yet the sheer fact that two well known allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin were able to evade detection and speak to Powell directly raises serious questions about security procedures at the central bank's Washington headquarters.

☆ Thieves can steal a car in minutes by hacking it through its headlights with devices sold online, experts warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Bianca Giacobone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Emergency start devices sold online starting at $1,600 can hack into a car through its wire network. The easiest access to car wires is through the headlights, car security experts say. "Normally, the wake-up message happens when you've pressed your car key. The hacking device sends a message to the car's front network — a car has many networks for logistic reasons — pretending to be the key. To study the hacking system, Tindell and Tabor purchased a similar hacking device online and reverse-engineered it.

☆ I started my Turo business with one car and grew my fleet to 69 cars. Now I can afford a luxury apartment and multiple vacations every year.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Natalia Zorina is a Turo host in Miami who started her business on the car-rental app in 2018. I started Turo as a side hustle with one carI'm from Ukraine and moved to the US in 2017. I started renting our family car, a 2011 Porsche Cayenne, on Turo in 2018. Luxury family cars, like Mercedes SUVs, are also in demand because tourists in Miami come here to enjoy the luxury vibe of the city. In my fleet, I have a yellow car, orange car, blue cars, green cars — I have all sorts of colors.

☆ China's Zeekr hires ex-Lexus brand veteran to helm Europe operations -memo
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHANGHAI, April 14 (Reuters) - China's Zeekr has hired a former Lexus executive to helm its operations in Europe, according to a memo seen by Reuters, as the electric vehicle (EV) maker plans to sell into the region later this year. Spiros Fotinos, who spent 24 years with Toyota (7203.T) and led the brand management of Lexus globally, joined Zeekr in September as the chief executive officer of Zeekr Europe to oversee the brand's operation in the region, the memo showed. The Geely-owned (GEELY.UL) (0175.HK) brand said on Wednesday it planned to offer the SUV-styled Zeekr X and its Zeekr 001 EV sedan in western Europe. Zeekr previously said it would start delivering in Europe in the fourth quarter of this year. It aims to sell 140,000 Zeekr cars this year, doubling the figure in 2022, An added.

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.

☆ These are the best electric and hybrid cars of 2023 for every type of buyer, from luxury sedans to family SUVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. News & World Report released a list of best electric and hybrid cars Wednesday. U.S. News evaluated 107 vehicles based on rankings, starting price, charging rate, and more. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyU.S. News & World Report released its list of best electric and hybrid cars Wednesday. The Lexus ES Hybrid, Kia EV6, Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid, Toyota Prius, and Lucid Air each secured the second consecutive win in their award categories. Best Electric Truck was a new category this year.

☆ Automakers are using a legal loophole to get customers an extra $7,500 tax credit — and business is booming
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Automakers might pass along the commercial EV credit to customers that lease their EVs. Last summer's Inflation Reduction Act introduced rules for new and used EVs to qualify for crucial tax credits. Startup Lucid, along with at least 10 "traditional" automakers, are leveraging the commercial credit, according to data from J.D. Meanwhile, automakers are interested in leasing EVs in part due to the commercial and used EV tax credits. Being able to pass along the commercial EV credit could bring in customers that might not have otherwise considered electric.

☆ Government launches investigation into deadly Tesla accident on California highway over possible use of automated driver technology
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Tesla hit a fire truck that was parked and blocking lanes on a California freeway last month. The NHTSA opened an investigation Wednesday into whether the car was using a driving assistance system. At least 15 incidents have been reported involving a Tesla crashing into a stationary emergency vehicle, according to The Associated Press. The spokesperson said the department is conducting its own safety investigation and "assessing the repairability" of the $2.1 million fire truck. —Con Fire PIO (@ContraCostaFire) February 18, 2023While the highway patrol is conducting an official investigation into the accident, the fire department spokesperson told Insider the Tesla hit the truck "while traveling at highway speeds."

☆ Toyota's new Prius is the best argument yet for hybrids
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —After I parked a new 2023 Toyota Prius and walked away, I turned around to look at it. How could hybrids, vehicles that burn gasoline, reduce greenhouse gas emissions more than vehicles that burn no gasoline at all?. reducing emissions rather than just acting as an inducement to buy an electric car, pointed out Jason Keller, Toyota’s director of dealer policy in the US. Prices for the Toyota Prius, for instance, start at just $27,000, a price only a few electric vehicles, like the Chevrolet Bolt, can approach. Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand, is expected to sell only electric vehicles by 2030.

☆ These are the best car brands of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | 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.

☆ These are the 10 best cars for every budget from Toyota, Ford, and Tesla
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The best cars you can buy include the Toyota Corolla, Ford Maverick, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Tesla Model 3. Under $25,000:Toyota Corolla HybridThe 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid. Toyota Corolla CrossThe 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross. $35,000-$45,000:Hyundai Santa Fe HybridThe Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid. Doug Berger/NWAPAThe Kia Telluride has earned its place among Consumer Reports' Top Picks since its debut in 2020.

☆ Tech’s meltdown has also erased the dream job for Gen Z.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

While maybe I should dream bigger, keeping expectations low could also be a good thing — people shouldn't dream of labor. And that's a wake up call for many Gen Z workers who once aspired to work in Big Tech. Gen Z says goodbye to dream tech jobs. Several top-ranked engineering schools told my colleague Aki Ito that Big Tech companies have been noticeably absent at career fairs since September. Aki breaks down the crumbling Gen Z dream-job and what that means for the tech industry.

☆ New Toyota Chief Says He Will Accelerate Shift in EV Strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( River Davis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO— Toyota Motor Corp.’s new chief executive said he was looking to accelerate the auto maker’s push into electric vehicles by introducing new EV-optimized parts and manufacturing methods. Toyota will develop new EVs for its luxury Lexus brand by 2026, and everything in those models will be optimized for EVs including the battery and the manufacturing platform, Koji Sato said at a briefing Monday. Mr. Sato, 53, is set to become chief executive in April, taking over from longtime leader Akio Toyoda .

☆ Toyota to ramp up on batteries, keep its options open, new CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Koji Sato, who was named as new CEO of Toyota Motor Corp, attends Tokyo Auto Salon 2023 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo, Japan January 13, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonCompanies Toyota Motor Corp FollowLexus FollowTOKYO, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) will ramp up its battery-electric offerings by focusing on its Lexus luxury brand, its incoming chief executive said on Monday, but the company will not deviate from a long held strategy of exploring other technologies. Toyota, which popularised the hybrid technology of the Prius, has said that hybrids make better sense for many drivers, especially in markets where the infrastructure is not ready to support batteries. Sato said Toyota would accelerate its battery-electric offerings by focusing on the Lexus. While he oversaw the creation of Lexus's first fully electric model, he has previously spoken of keeping open other options for powering vehicles.

☆ I asked ChatGPT to write a viral Super Bowl commercial. Here's what an advertising pro thought of the AI script.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The most generic beer commercial of all timeChatGPT writes a script for a beer commercial Screenshot/ChatGPTFor my first commercial, I told ChatGPT to "write me a beer commercial that would run during the Super Bowl." "This is the perfect beer for the Super Bowl," ChatGPT wrote as a line for one of the characters. The cast of 'Succession' sells a luxury SUVChatGPT writes a Lexus commercial ChatGPT/ScreenshotNext up, I asked ChatGPT to "write me a funny Super Bowl commercial for the newest Lexus SUV, starring the cast of Succession." Just like the beer commercial, Eastman told me this script seemed generic. A Skittles commercial that almost hits the markChatGPT writes a Skittles commercial ChatGPT/ScreenshotLast up, I asked ChatGPT to "write me a viral and crazy Super Bowl commercial for a candy of your choosing."

☆ Toyota's Q3 profit jumps 22%, buoyed by weak yen and higher sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Daniel Leussink | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Operating profit for the three months ended Dec. 31 was 956.7 billion yen ($7.28 billion). That beat the average 764.54 billion yen profit estimated by 10 analysts, according to Refinitiv data. In the same period a year earlier, Toyota reported a 784.4 billion yen profit. He will hand over to the leader of Toyota's Lexus luxury brand as the shift to electric vehicles challenges the car giant. It also cut its sales target for battery electric vehicles to 40 from 58, following an embarrassing recall of its first battery electric model, the bz4x, last year due to safety issues.

☆ Toyota's Q3 profit jumps 22% as weak yen helps
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Daniel Leussink | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Operating profit for the three months ended Dec. 31 was 956.7 billion yen ($7.28 billion). That beat the average 764.54 billion yen profit estimated by 10 analysts, according to Refinitiv data. In the same period a year earlier, Toyota reported a 784.4 billion yen profit. While it trimmed its annual production target by about 1%, to around 9.1 million vehicles, it stuck to its forecast for annual profit of 2.4 trillion yen for the year to end-March. The automaker is likely to comfortably exceed that forecast, given that it has now delivered 2.1 trillion yen in the first nine months of the year, said Koji Endo, senior analyst at SBI Securities.

☆ High-tech dashboards, driving assistants vex luxury vehicle owners -study
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Joseph White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The gap in reliability scores between luxury brands and those for mass market brands such as Kia were the widest in the 34 years that J.D. Power sets Tesla aside from other brands in the rankings because the electric vehicle maker doesn't provide it with full access to information about owners. Other luxury brands fared poorly, too. Infotainment systems complaints, such as problems with wireless Bluetooth phone connections, dragged down scores from vehicle owners of several luxury brands, according to the report. Even as luxury brands compete to offer more advanced digital content and dashboard features, luxury vehicle owners are finding fault with the infotainment systems at about double the rate as owners of mass-market brands, Hanley said.

☆ CEO of Hilton says a Porsche was the dumbest thing he ever bought: 'I spent all my money on that stupid car'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta says selling his black Porsche 944 was the best financial decision he ever made. "I spent all my money on that stupid car." Since 2007, Nassetta has driven something more practical: a four-door Lexus sedan he bought just after landing the top role at Hilton. In 2020, the mechanic called Nassetta to say he'd found someone nearby with the vehicle — but it was barely running. Together, Nassetta and the mechanic spent two years repairing the car, completing the project last May.

☆ Car buyers frustrated with inventory shortages should head to a Ford or GM dealer
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In January, dealers were sitting on 37 days' supply, with about 21 days for cars and 41 days for trucks, according to a Deutsche Bank note Thursday. The domestic automakers had higher days' supply than others, with Ford at 60 days, GM at 52 days, and Stellantis (the merger of Fiat Chrysler and the French PSA Group) at 68 days, per Deutsche Bank. Even with inventory improvements, car-buyers need to look out for high interest rates and loan payments. Kekyalyaynen / Shutterstock.comBeware high interest rates and loan paymentsJust because there are available vehicles, that doesn't mean demand for cars is waning. Some automakers' loan payments are much higher than others, pricing buyers out of the market.

The 66-year-old Toyoda on Thursday announced he would step aside as leader of the company his grandfather founded from April 1 to take the role of chairman. He will hand over to Koji Sato, the 53-year-old head of Toyota's luxury Lexus brand. "It's likely that he'll remain active as chairman for a long time and continue to put his mark on Toyota." "Toyota is a public company that likes to pretend it's a family company," said John Shook, a former Toyota manager who now consults on the lean management techniques pioneered by the automaker. "Choosing someone who is much younger and with Sato's background indicates Akio recognised the time for change had come."

TOKYO, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) chief Akio Toyoda is set to remain a dominant force inside the world's largest automaker for years to come, and will continue to influence the agenda after stepping down in April, experts and people familiar with the firm said. The 66-year-old Toyoda on Thursday announced he would step aside as leader of the company his grandfather founded from April 1 to take the role of chairman. "It's likely that he'll remain active as chairman for a long time and continue to put his mark on Toyota." "Toyota is a public company that likes to pretend it's a family company," said John Shook, a former Toyota manager who now consults on the lean management techniques pioneered by the automaker. "Choosing someone who is much younger and with Sato's background indicates Akio recognised the time for change had come."

☆ The outgoing CEO of a giant autos firm had a message for his successor: Don't be like me
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

After Akio Toyoda, CEO and President of Toyota, announced he was stepping down on Thursday, he shared his advice to his successor and his business philosophy. After Akio Toyoda, the CEO and President of Toyota, announced he was stepping down on Thursday, he shared his advice to his successor and broke down his business philosophy. "I told Sato 'don't try to run the company on your own, but as a team'," Toyoda said. Toyoda is due to officially step down as CEO and president on April 1, and will then become chairman of the board. His successor Sato is currently chief branding officer and is the head of Toyota's racing arm Gazoo and its Lexus division.

☆ Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda to Hand Control to Next Generation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( River Davis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Toyota Chief Executive Akio Toyoda said it was time to pass the baton to a younger executive. TOKYO— Toyota Motor Corp. Chief Executive Akio Toyoda , who has expressed skepticism about an all-electric vehicle future, said he would hand the keys to a younger executive who he said might have new ideas. Koji Sato , a 53-year-old engineer who will take over as Toyota’s CEO in April, offered few details about his plans for the world’s top-selling auto maker. But his experience leading the introduction of the first fully electric Lexus and working on hydrogen-powered cars puts him in a position to tackle the coming transformation in cars.

☆ Toyota Needs a New EV Road Map
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Toyota President Akio Toyoda recently said the car maker is looking at rolling out a dedicated manufacturing platform for electric vehicles. Toyota ‘s incoming boss has a big decision to make on electric vehicles. The world’s largest car maker by sales said Thursday that its President Akio Toyoda would move into the chairman role in April, leaving Lexus President Koji Sato to run the company. The unexpected move was prompted by the decision by current Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada to retire. Celebrated as the father of the Prius, Mr. Uchiyamada said he saw the need for “generational change.”

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