| May 08 | At cautious Toyota, low risk rules even as profit booms |
 Toyota Motor Corp refuses to be tempted away from its low-risk growth strategy, even as the world's bestselling carmaker met its mid-term profit goals in the year ended March, and foresees even higher earnings this fiscal year. (Reuters  ) |
| May 02 | Toyota boss to take wheel at Nurburgring |
 The motor-sport loving president of Japanese auto giant Toyota, will get behind the wheel in the Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race in Germany later this month, a company spokesman said Wednesday. (Global Post ) |
| Apr 25 | Japan's top 3 automakers log record overseas output in FY 2012 |
 Japan's top three automakers -- Toyota, Nissan and Honda -- all produced record high numbers of vehicles overseas in the past business year through March, due partly to increased production in North America and emerging Asian countries on robust demand, according to data released Wednesday. (Kyodo ) |
| Apr 21 | Shanghai motor show opens |
 The Shanghai motor show has opened with about 2,000 firms from across the world showcasing 1,300 models. (NHK ) |
| Apr 21 | Toyota to build Lexus in US |
 Japan's Toyota Motor says it will start making its Lexus luxury cars in the United States in 2015. (NHK ) |
| Apr 20 | Dual hydrogen, gas station opens |
 The nation's first hydrogen refueling station to be integrated with a gas station opened Friday in Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, playing a part in the spread of "ultimate eco-friendly" fuel cell cars. (Yomiuri ) |
| Apr 18 | Toyota's global sales of hybrids top 5 mil. |
 Japan's Toyota Motor says global sales of its hybrid vehicles topped 5-million units. That's in cumulative terms since its first hybrid model, the Prius, was launched back in 1997. (NHK ) |
| Apr 12 | Ford, Toyota both claim to have top-selling car |
 For the second time in seven months, Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co. both claim to produce the world's top-selling car. The clash shows how counting in the global automotive industry is complicated. (Japan Times ) |
| Apr 12 | Japan carmakers recall 3.4 million vehicles for Takata airbag flaw |
 Four Japanese automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp and Nissan Motor Co, are recalling 3.4 million vehicles sold around the world because airbags supplied by Takata Corp are at risk of catching fire or injuring passengers. (Reuters ) |
| Apr 05 | Ferrari sees Japan as growth market as China, Europe sales slump |
 Japan is becoming Ferrari's next growth market.
Registrations of Fiat SpA (F)'s ultra-luxury brand surged 40 percent to 144 vehicles in Japan last quarter, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association yesterday. (Bloomberg ) |
| Apr 04 | Japan automakers lose ground in China, rivals grow share |
| Japanese car makers' sales in China in the first three months of the year have yet to recover fully from last year's slump, and foreign rivals are capitalising in a market expecting 7 percent growth in 2013. (Reuters) |
| Apr 02 | Japan's mini-car sales jump to record high |
 Sales in Japan of 660 cc passenger mini-cars jumped to a record high in the last financial year, signalling structural change in a market where family size is shrinking and buyers are shifting to smaller cars. (Economic Times ) |
| Mar 28 | Japanese automakers show luxury, SUV offerings at New York auto expo |
 Japanese carmakers showcased their sports utility vehicles and luxury cars at the annual New York International Auto Show, which opened on Wednesday. (Kyodo ) |
| Mar 28 | Japan venture to bring electric tuk-tuks to Asia |
 A Japanese company is hoping to win a big slice of Asia's tuk-tuk market, it said Wednesday, betting battery-operated buggies could cut burgeoning city pollution. (inquirer.net ) |
| Mar 28 | Mitsubishi spots foreign object in batteries |
 Japan's Mitsubishi Motors says a short circuit in the batteries of its plug-in hybrid car may have been caused by foreign objects introduced during production. (NHK ) |
| Mar 24 | Toyota to lift domestic output due to weak yen |
 Toyota Motor plans to raise domestic production during the April-September period by about 10 percent from its earlier estimate thanks to the recent weak yen, it was reported on Saturday. (AFP ) |
| Mar 20 | Owners turning off batteries, says study |
 Up to a third of electric car owners in Japan say they will not buy another battery-powered vehicle again. (goauto.com.au) |
| Mar 07 | Toyota Aqua stays best-selling car for fifth month |
 Toyota Motor Corp.'s Aqua hybrid hatchback remained the nation's top-selling car for the fifth straight month in February, selling 24,526 units, up 11.7 percent from a year earlier, industry bodies said Wednesday. (Japan Times ) |
| Mar 06 | Toyota i-Road city concept revealed ahead of Geneva |
 Toyota has unveiled a new three-wheeled i-ROAD city concept EV at the Geneva Motor Show this week.
Billed as a Personal Mobility Vehicle (PMV), the i-ROAD features a tandem two seat configuration similar to Renault's Twizzy EV production model. (themotorreport.com.au ) |
| Feb 26 | Japan's automakers shift plants to Mexico to export vehicles worldwide |
| Mexico's vehicle exports have surged as Japan's automakers, squeezed by a strong yen and high production costs, transfer more of their manufacturing there. (Asahi) |
| Feb 15 | Toyota's Lexus rated most dependable car |
 Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus luxury brand remained atop an annual vehicle dependability survey for the second consecutive year, a U.S. research firm said Wednesday. (Yomiuri ) |
| Feb 05 | Toyota forecasts profit surge |
 Toyota has increased its full-year profit forecast to triple what it eked out for the disaster-struck previous year. (skynews.com.au ) |
| Feb 05 | Goodbye, Prius? Japanese carmakers drop battery electric-car development |
 Japan is backtracking on battery electric-car development, as even Nissan's vice chairman, the so-called "father of the Prius," announced plans to copy Toyota and pursue fuel-cell cars that convert hydrogen to electricity. (Washington Times ) |
| Feb 02 | Nissan to quadruple EV charging stations in U.S. |
 Nissan Motor Co. has said it will more than quadruple the number of high-speed battery charging stations for electric vehicles in the United States in the next 1-1/2 years. (Yomiuri ) |
| Jan 31 | Will Datsun still be 'driven'? |
 "We Are Driven!" That was the memorable 1970s-era slogan for the once-and-future Datsun brand of budget cars sold by Nissan Motor Co. Now, the Japanese automaker wants Madison Avenue to rework its magic for a new generation of car buyers. (Wall Street Journal ) |
| Jan 31 | Toyota announces global recalls for faulty air bags, sticky front window wipers |
 Toyota is recalling 907,000 vehicles, mostly Corolla models, around the world for faulty air bags and another 385,000 Lexus IS luxury cars for defective wipers. (newser.com ) |
| Jan 29 | Japan's top three automakers post record 2012 sales |
 Japan's three biggest automakers -- Toyota, Nissan and Honda -- on Monday posted record sales for 2012, as the results confirmed that Toyota recaptured the world's biggest automaker crown. (AFP ) |
| Jan 19 | Mazda and Fiat finalize deal for Alfa roadster, next-gen MX-5 Miata |
 Although a little bit later than expected, Mazda and Fiat have signed a final agreement that will bring a next-generation MX-5 Miata to the Japanese automaker and a new roadster to Alfa Romeo. (autoblog.com ) |
| Jan 18 | Automakers urge U.S. fight Japan's actions to weaken yen |
| U.S. auto manufacturers on Thursday urged the Obama administration to fight Japanese efforts to revive their economy by weakening the yen to boost exports. (Reuters) |
| Jan 03 | Developing world or not, car industry in for growth: Toyoda |
| The potential for growth in the auto market isn't limited to emerging economies like China, but is there to be tapped in the developed nations as well, according to Akio Toyoda, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. (Japan Times) |
| Dec 26 | Remodeled Crown sedan launched |
 Toyota Motor Corp. on Tuesday launched a fully remodeled Crown luxury sedan in the Japanese market, featuring an all-new design and improved safety features. (Japan Times ) |
| Dec 21 | Toyota scores 'poor' on insurers' crash tests |
| Toyota Motor Corp.'s Camry, the best-selling midsize car in the U.S., and the Prius V hybrid earned the lowest ratings in a new crash test simulating a severe front-end collision, an insurance group found. (Japan Times) |
| Dec 20 | Mitsubishi widens recall to 1.7m vehicles |
 Mitsubishi has widened a recall over an oil leak to about 1.7 million vehicles sold in Japan, prompting a rebuke from the country's transport ministry. (ninemsn ) |
| Dec 13 | Mazda leads diesel revival as dirty-clunker label fades |
 Thirteen years after Shintaro Ishihara killed Japanese interest in diesel cars by barring many of them from Tokyo, the technology is making a comeback as manufacturers adopt innovations that improve its sooty image. (Japan Times ) |
| Dec 07 | Toyota sees Japan sales dropping 20 percent in 2013: media |
| Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) expects Japan vehicle sales to fall by a fifth next year, in part due to the end of government tax incentives for fuel-efficient automobiles, domestic media reported, adding to the pain from a decline in China sales. (Reuters) |
| Dec 04 | Mazda CX-5 named Japan's Car of The Year, Subaru BR-Z wins 'Special Award' |
 The Mazda CX-5 stamped its Kodo design and SkyActiv technology authority all over the Japan Car of the Year awards, taking the top prize ahead of the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT 86. It is Mazda's second victory in the last ten years, the 2005 MX-5 claiming the same trophy, and the fourth time the Hiroshima company has won. (autoblog.com) |
| Nov 22 | Japan brands fend off rivals at China auto show |
 Global automakers and their Chinese rivals put on sleek displays of new cars at a major auto show Thursday in Guangzhou, the southern Chinese stronghold of Japanese brands that have been hard hit by tensions between Tokyo and Beijing. (BusinessWeek ) |
| Nov 20 | Small cars, big expectations / As competition builds, battery makers hope for ultra-mini EV boom |
| Although the electric vehicle market has yet to take off, lithium-ion battery manufacturers anticipate a boom in sales of electric "ultra-minicars," and domestic makers are already locked in fierce competition with overseas rivals over who will supply the batteries that power the next-generation cars. (Yomiuri) |
| Nov 15 | Toyota announces yet another massive recall |
 Japanese carmaker Toyota is again having to recall millions of vehicles around the globe amid complaints from customers over two technical issues. It's another blow to a firm once praised for its safety standards. (Deutsche Welle ) |
| Nov 10 | Mazda to produce Toyota vehicles at its Mexico plant |
 Japan's Toyota Motor Corp and Mazda Motor Corp said on Friday that Mazda will produce Toyota vehicles for the North American market at its new plant in Mexico. (Reuters ) |
| Nov 07 | Suzuki files for U.S. bankruptcy protection |
 With its last all-new product, the slow-selling Kizashi mid-size sedan, entering its fourth model year, and no new metal in sight, Japan's Suzuki has filed for bankruptcy in the U.S., effectively shutting down its retail automotive business.
(theprovince.com ) |
| Nov 07 | Toyota's Aqua best-selling car for 1st time |
 Toyota Motor Corp.'s Aqua compact hybrid was the best-selling vehicle in this country in October, topping the list for the first time, industry data showed Tuesday. (Yomiuri ) |
| Nov 02 | Toyota's China sales dive over isle row |
 Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday its sales in China nearly halved in October compared with the same month a year earlier, the second consecutive month it has suffered a steep fall. (Japan Times ) |
| Oct 31 | Isuzu opens new Thai plant |
 Major Japanese truck maker Isuzu Motors has built a new plant in eastern Thailand. The company is hoping to make the country its export hub to the world market. (NHKReloaded ) |
| Oct 31 | Government urged to ease vehicle taxes |
 The nation's car industry leaders urged the government Monday to abolish automobile-related taxes to help ease the impact of the coming sales tax hike on vehicle sales. (Japan Times ) |
| Oct 31 | Japan auto parts firm Tokai Rika to pay U.S. price fixing fine |
| Japanese auto parts maker Tokai Rika Co Ltd has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to fix the prices of auto heating components and to pay a fine of $17.7 million, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday. (Reuters) |
| Oct 30 | Japan dominates Consumer Reports reliability rankings while Ford falls |
| Japanese brands took the top seven spots in Consumer Reports' annual reliability rankings, pushing aside their U.S. and European rivals. Toyota Motor Corp.'s Scion, Lexus and Toyota brands took the top three spots and the Toyota Prius C, a subcompact hybrid, got the best overall score. Mazda, Subaru, Honda and Acura were close behind. (foxnews.com) |
| Oct 30 | Honda in tie-up with Malaysia's Proton |
| The parent of automaker Proton will enter a partnership with Japan's Honda, the companies have said, in the troubled Malaysian car manufacturer's latest stab at revival through a foreign tie-up. (Channel NewsAsia) |
| Oct 25 | Nissan Motor to spend $376 mln on new Thai plant |
 Nissan Motor Co plans to spend about 30 billion yen ($376 million) on a new plant in Thailand in 2014 to diversify production in the wake of anti-Japanese demonstrations in China last month, the Nikkei business daily said on Wednesday. (Reuters ) |
| Oct 20 | Mitsubishi Fuso recalls 58,000 vehicles globally |
 Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. is recalling about 58,000 units of its Canter light-duty truck and Rosa small bus globally because of a faulty fuel filter tube, according to transport ministry officials. (Yomiuri ) |