Car Chute

Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:28pm GMT

* Toyota may seek tie-ups akin to Ford hybrid truck deal

* Nissan CEO on yen: “Fix the exchange rate. Fix it.”

* Yen hit a record high against U.S. dollar in late Oct.

By Bernie Woodall and Nick Zieminski

Nov 17 (Reuters) – The strong yen is forcing Toyota Motor
Corp and Nissan Motor Co Ltd to consider
changes in production plans and alliance strategies, the top
executives of both Japanese automakers said on Thursday.

The yen, which hit a record high against the U.S. dollar in
late October, has undercut profits for Nissan and Toyota, which
both build vehicles in Japan for overseas markets.

To offset the strong yen, Toyota may “deepen alliances”
with suppliers and dealers, President Akio Toyoda said during
the opening of a Toyota plant in Mississippi that will build
Corolla cars now being manufactured in Japan.

At a separate event in New York, Nissan Chief Executive
Carlos Ghosn said the strong yen may force Nissan and other
companies to shift production outside of Japan.

“What’s taking place now is many projects are now basing
their manufacturing outside of Japan because they just cannot
survive with this 77 yen to the dollar and they have absolutely
no visibility they’re going to get out of (this),” Ghosn said
in a speech at the Japan Society in New York.

So far this year, the dollar has fallen more than 5 percent
against the yen . Since 2007, the dollar has tumbled more
than 35 percent against the yen.

The yen’s strength has raised questions about the rationale
of Toyota’s commitment to producing at least 3 million cars in
Japan each year. By contrast, Nissan has been more willing to
shift production abroad.

“We need just one thing,” Ghosn told the Japan Society in
New York. “Fix the exchange rate. Fix it.”

The soaring yen makes it cheaper for Nissan and Toyota to
buy commodities and potentially buy overseas assets. But it
also diminishes earnings from major auto markets such as the
United States.

Rather than buy companies outright, Toyota is more likely
to enter partnerships similar to one it entered earlier this
year with Ford Motor Co to build hybrid trucks and SUVs
and develop phone, navigation and entertainment systems, Toyota
Motor Sales President Jim Lentz said.

That deal will allow Toyota to tackle an area of vehicle
technology where it has lagged.

“We are not good at acquiring companies. We are bad at
doing that,” Toyoda said when asked

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The Tokyo Motor Show will be held from November 30 through to December 11 and Toyota Motor Corporation will be unveiling several concept cars at the show, including a Prius Plug-in Hybrid, a Fuell-cell vehicle, and a compact-class dedicated hybrid.

The company said that it is aiming “to make fresh proposals concerning the dream and joy of motor vehicles under the concept ‘Fun to Drive, Again’.”

Included in the six cars which Toyota will unveil at the show is the Aqua, or the Prius C as it will be labelled outside of Japan. A compact-class car with a suitably compact price-tag is said to offer a “groundbreaking” fuel efficiency of approximately 35 kilometres to the litre, according to the JC08 test cycle.

Toyota describes the car as providing “the joys of hybrid vehicle ownership, such as superior fuel efficiency, user friendliness and fun, to as many people as possible” in a body that, at less than four metres in length, “offers outstanding handling.”

Five other cars will be shown off at the Tokyo Motor Show:

• Toyota Fun-Vii (world premiere)

A concept vehicle that heralds a future where people, cars and society are linked.

• Compact Rear-Wheel-Drive Sports Vehicle (world premiere)

The prototype model of a compact rear-wheel-drive vehicle jointly developed by Fuji Heavy Industries and TMC.

• Prius Plug-in Hybrid (Japan premiere)

The Prius Plug-in Hybrid, an environment-friendly vehicle that combines features from both pure-electric vehicles and gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, is equipped with a new, high-capacity lithium-ion battery that can be charged from a household outlet. Able to operate as an electric vehicle on short trips and as a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle on medium to long trips, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid can be used regardless of battery charge status or charging infrastructure availability.

With this vehicle, TMC aims to address environmental issues such as the reduction of fossil fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and atmospheric pollution. A production model is planned for launch by TMC in early 2012 with fuel economy exceeding 57 km/L*3 and an EV cruising range*4 (on fully charged battery) of 23.4 km, positioning the plug-in hybrid as a leading next-generation eco-car coming after gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles.

• FCV-R (world premiere)

A practical sedan-type next-generation fuel-cell concept vehicle fueled by hydrogen, a promising source of CO2 emission-free energy that can be produced from a variety of sources and can be easily stored and transported. This concept model is a

Article source: Article Source

The Tokyo Motor Show will be held from November 30 through to December 11 and Toyota Motor Corporation will be unveiling several concept cars at the show, including a Prius Plug-in Hybrid, a Fuell-cell vehicle, and a compact-class dedicated hybrid.

The company said that it is aiming “to make fresh proposals concerning the dream and joy of motor vehicles under the concept ‘Fun to Drive, Again’.”

Included in the six cars which Toyota will unveil at the show is the Aqua, or the Prius C as it will be labelled outside of Japan. A compact-class car with a suitably compact price-tag is said to offer a “groundbreaking” fuel efficiency of approximately 35 kilometres to the litre, according to the JC08 test cycle.

Toyota describes the car as providing “the joys of hybrid vehicle ownership, such as superior fuel efficiency, user friendliness and fun, to as many people as possible” in a body that, at less than four metres in length, “offers outstanding handling.”

Five other cars will be shown off at the Tokyo Motor Show:

• Toyota Fun-Vii (world premiere)

A concept vehicle that heralds a future where people, cars and society are linked.

• Compact Rear-Wheel-Drive Sports Vehicle (world premiere)

The prototype model of a compact rear-wheel-drive vehicle jointly developed by Fuji Heavy Industries and TMC.

• Prius Plug-in Hybrid (Japan premiere)

The Prius Plug-in Hybrid, an environment-friendly vehicle that combines features from both pure-electric vehicles and gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, is equipped with a new, high-capacity lithium-ion battery that can be charged from a household outlet. Able to operate as an electric vehicle on short trips and as a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle on medium to long trips, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid can be used regardless of battery charge status or charging infrastructure availability.

With this vehicle, TMC aims to address environmental issues such as the reduction of fossil fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and atmospheric pollution. A production model is planned for launch by TMC in early 2012 with fuel economy exceeding 57 km/L*3 and an EV cruising range*4 (on fully charged battery) of 23.4 km, positioning the plug-in hybrid as a leading next-generation eco-car coming after gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles.

• FCV-R (world premiere)

A practical sedan-type next-generation fuel-cell concept vehicle fueled by hydrogen, a promising source of CO2 emission-free energy that can be produced from a variety of sources and can be easily stored and transported. This concept model is a

Article source: Article Source

Tokyo (dpa) – The first images of the new Toyota Celica that is expected to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month have been revealed.

The new sports car will be built at a new factory in the Japanese province of Gumma, with Subaru supplying the platform and engine while Toyota has responsibility for the design. The engine has been fine-tuned by Toyota, giving it an output of 200 hp. A turbo version is expected at a later stage with an output of 300 hp. Read more…

Enlarge image

Toyota to Unveil Hydrogen-Fueled Sedan, Aqua Compact Hybrid

Toyota Motor Corp. via Bloomberg

Toyota Motor Corp.’s FCV-R fuel cell concept vehicle.

Toyota Motor Corp.’s FCV-R fuel cell concept vehicle. Source: Toyota Motor Corp. via Bloomberg

Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), Asia’s biggest
carmaker, will unveil a hydrogen-fueled sedan at the Tokyo Motor
Show next month.

The maker of the Prius, the world’s best-selling hybrid
vehicle, will introduce six models including the FCV-R concept
car, a midsize sedan that runs on hydrogen. Toyota aims to
market the vehicle in 2015.

Toyota will also introduce the Aqua compact hybrid, a plug-
in version of its Prius hybrid, and the FT-EV III, an all-
electric car, at the show. The Toyota City, Japan-based company
plans to begin selling the Aqua in late December and the plug-in
Prius and the electric vehicle next year.

Nissan Motor Co., the maker of the all-electric Leaf car,
will display three electric vehicles: the Pivo3 compact, the
ESFLOW sports car, and the Townpod compact. The Pivo3 comes with
an automatic parking feature that enables it to find a parking
space and drive itself to the spot after the driver has left the
vehicle.

Nissan’s Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn has said the
carmaker plans to have four electric models by 2016 and to
introduce a plug-in hybrid in 2015. With its French partner
Renault SA (RNO), the company aims to sell 1.5 million zero-emission
vehicles in the next five years.

Honda Motor Co., the maker of the Insight hybrid car, will
introduce three models, including its first plug-in hybrid, the
AC-X sedan, and an electric sports car.

The Tokyo Motor Show, which opens to the public on Dec. 2,
will feature 15 Japanese auto brands and 25 foreign brands.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Anna Mukai in

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Toyota City, Nov 14, 2011 (JCN Newswire via COMTEX) –
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), in collaboration with its customer service IT company, Toyota Media Service Corporation, has developed a tool to support easy home-based charging of the Prius PHV plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV), due for launch next year, and electric vehicles (EVs). Toyota Housing Corporation, TMC’s house construction and design subsidiary, will start sales of the tool, the H2V Manager, in January 2012. H2V stands for “home to vehicle”, indicating the charging flow from home to vehicle.

PHV or EV users can connect (wired or wireless) to the H2V Manager from a home PC, television or smartphone to effortlessly set or adjust their PHV or EV charging start time, as well as check household electric power consumption. The same operations can be performed remotely with a smartphone, through the Toyota Smart Center.

Furthermore, when necessary, the H2V Manager automatically interrupts PHV or EV charging when household power demand spikes, and then resumes charging when there is spare power capacity. This function prevents circuit breakers from cutting off power supply when a large number of home appliances are used simultaneously, pushing electricity consumption beyond the home’s maximum voltage.

Toyota Housing Corporation plans to sell a line-up of household PHV and EV chargers consisting of a standard charger, a wall-mounted charger and a pole-mounted charger. The H2V Manager, compatible with all these chargers, has a suggested retail price of 52,290 yen (including tax, excluding installation). The expected starting price of a H2V Manager and charger package is 157,500 yen (including installation and tax).

A unit of the H2V Manager will be on display at the Toyota booth in the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association Inc.-sponsored Smart Mobility City 2011 exhibition at the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show to be held from November 30 through December 3 at Tokyo Big Sight, in Koto Ward, Tokyo.

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Toyota said on Tuesday its operating profit for July-September was 75.39 billion yen ($966 million), worse than an average estimate of 101.3 billion yen in a Reuters survey of 12 analysts. Second-quarter net profit was 80.42 billion yen, down 18.5 percent, while revenue fell 5 percent to 4.57 trillion yen.

For the year to March 31, 2012, Toyota had forecast an operating profit of 450 billion yen, but it withdrew its full-year forecasts for profit and vehicle sales due to uncertainty surrounding the Thai floods. The consensus forecast was for 486 billion yen in a survey of 21 analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

The Thai floods have forced Toyota to halt work at its three vehicle plants in its Southeast Asian export hub from Oct. 10 at least until Nov. 12. A shortage of parts has also forced it to reduce production in nine other countries including Japan.

Toyota said on Tuesday it would keep its Japanese production reduced at least until Nov. 18. It was still undecided on production elsewhere, including in Thailand.

Between Oct. 10 and Nov. 12, Toyota would lose production of about 150,000 vehicles from the supply shortage, a spokeswoman said. This week, its Japanese factories were working at 70-80 percent of planned levels, while output in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Pakistan was at 40 percent of plans. Its North American factories, excluding Mexico, were working at 90 percent of plans.

Toyota had just started to ramp up production in September, working overtime and some weekends to make up for output lost after the March 11 disasters.

The supply constraints from the two disasters have hit Toyota’s sales and market share the world over and will likely place it behind General Motors Co and Volkswagen AG this year. Toyota is still by far the most valuable, with a market capitalisation of $113 billion.

Toyota must also find a way to keep its commitment of building at least 3 million vehicles annually in the shrinking Japanese market without bleeding profits.

Toyota’s shares have fallen 22 percent in the year to date, faring worse than Nissan, which is down about 8 percent, but better than Honda Motor Co, which has fallen 28 percent.

Before the results were announced, Toyota shares closed down 1.7 percent at 2,503 yen, in line with the broader Tokyo market. 

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Nov 08, 2011 (SmarTrend(R) Spotlight via COMTEX) –
SmarTrend identified a Downtrend for Toyota Motor (NYSE:TM) on August 3rd, 2011 at $80.62. In approximately 3 months, Toyota Motor has returned 19.85% as of today’s recent price of $64.61.

Over the past year, Toyota Motorhas traded in a range of $63.53 to $93.90 and are now at $64.61. In the last five trading sessions, the 50-day moving average (MA) has fallen 0.6% while the 200-day MA has slid 0.3%.

Toyota Motor Corporation manufactures, sells, leases, and repairs passenger cars, trucks, buses, and their related parts worldwide. The Company also operates financing services through their subsidiaries. Toyota Motor builds homes, produces pleasure boats, and develops intelligent transportation systems including radar cruise control and electronic toll collection systems.

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs Service Providers at The World’s Communications Conference, ITEXPO West. September 13-15, 2011 Austin, Texas

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs Service Providers at The World’s Communications Conference, ITEXPO West. September 13-15, 2011 Austin, Texas

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs Service Providers at The World’s Communications Conference, ITEXPO West. September 13-15, 2011 Austin, Texas

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs Service Providers at The World’s Communications Conference, ITEXPO West. September 13-15, 2011 Austin, Texas

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs Service Providers at The World’s Communications Conference, ITEXPO West. September 13-15, 2011 Austin, Texas

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs Service Providers at The World’s Communications Conference, ITEXPO West. September 13-15, 2011 Austin, Texas

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SmarTrend will continue to scan these moving averages and a number of other proprietary indicators for any changes in momentum for shares of Toyota Motor.

Log in and add Toyota Motor (TM) to your watchlist today so you can receive a real-time alert when the shares are about to change trend.

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TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it is recalling about 550,000 vehicles worldwide — mostly in the United States — for problems that could make it harder to steer.

The recall affects 447,000 vehicles in North America, as well as 38,000 in Japan and another 25,000 in Australia and New Zealand, said Toyota spokesman Dion Corbett. In Europe some 14,000 vehicles are being recalled along with 10,000 in the Middle East and 14,000 in Asia outside Japan.

Toyota has received a total of 79 reports about the defect dating back to 2007, said Corbett. There have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to the problems, he said.

Toyota’s reputation has taken a hit over the last two years due to a string of huge recalls that have ballooned to 14 million vehicles over that time, including millions recalled last year for acceleration problems. It faces damage lawsuits and lingering doubts in the U.S. about whether it had been transparent enough about the recall woes.

Japan’s largest automaker has been trying to communicate better with customers and empower regional operations outside Japan to make safety decisions.

The news comes a day after Toyota said its July-September profit slid 18.5 percent to 80.4 billion yen ($1 billion) on plunging sales caused by parts shortages from the tsunami disaster in northeastern Japan.

It now faces such uncertainties from flooding in Thailand, where it has many suppliers and three assembly plants, that it declined to release an earnings forecast for the full year through March.

The latest recall is due to the possibility that the outer ring of the engine’s crankshaft pulley may become misaligned with the inner ring, causing noise or a warning signal to light up, the company’s U.S. sales unit said in a press release. If the problem isn’t corrected, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley, making it suddenly more difficult to turn the steering wheel.

In the United States, the automaker is recalling 283,200 Toyota brand cars, including the 2004 and 2005 Camry, Highlander, Sienna and Solara, the 2004 Avalon and the 2006 Highlander HV. Its recall of 137,000 Lexus vehicles includes the 2004 and 2005 ES330 and RX330 and 2006 RX400h.

Those affected elsewhere include certain models of the Alphard, Highlander, Highlander hybrid and some Lexus models, Corbett said.

The recall notification process varies from country to country.

In the U.S., Toyota will mail owners a notification to make an appointment with an authorized dealer to have their car inspected once replacement parts have been produced in sufficient quantities.

If needed, parts will be replaced for no charge, the company’s American sales unit said. Notifications will be mailed starting in January.

In the

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