WIRE REPORTS

Bizjournals.com Honda sales fall 33% without 'Clunkers' program Bizjournals.com Honda Motor Co. Ltd.'s US sales in August were no match for the surge in sales seen a year ago during the “Cash for Clunkers” rebate program. ... and more » Chinese auto sales rebound by over 55% in August Taipei Times General Motors Co (GM), Toyota Motor Corp, Honda Motor Co and Ford Motor Co all reported declines from the month before and from a year earlier. ... and more » Report From Europe: Markets Treading Water After a Big Up Day Seeking Alpha (blog) (TM) and Honda Motor Co. (HMC) all reported declines of 25% or more while Ford Motor Co. (F) saw its sales drop 11%. The few gainers included Chrysler Group ... and more » Japan Minister Warns China on Business Rules Wall Street Journal Earlier this year, a wave of strikes disrupted local production at Japanese manufacturers, including Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. ... and more » Auto Sales Hit the Brakes in August Youngstown Business Journal Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., the two Japanese automakers that benefited most from the clunkers program a year ago, saw their sales plummet. ... and more » Honda shares pass Toyota's on emerging market hope Reuters By Daiki Iga TOKYO, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co's (7267.T) shares closed higher than those of rival Toyota Motor Corp (7203. ... and more » Auto sales crash in August The Tennessean Honda Motor Co., the second-biggest Japanese automaker, sold 108729 Honda and Acura brand vehicles, down 33 percent from a year ago, according to an e-mail ... and more » Nikkei up 1.5 pct, climbs further above 16-mth low Reuters Honda Motor Co (7267.T) and other exporters that are sensitive to the health of the world economy led gains in the overall market. Honda rose 1.9 percent to ... and more » Toyota Leads US Sales Drop on 'Clunkers' Comparison BusinessWeek 2 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., beneficiaries last year of US “cash for clunkers” incentives, had the steepest August sales ... and more » Xinhua world economic news summary at 0500 GMT, Sept. 2 istockAnalyst.com (press release) (NYSE:TM) reported its US sales down 34 percent, and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE:HMC) was also down 33 percent for the month. Nissan North America Inc. ... and more »

DAILY REPORTS

Aug 29 Japan beyond the Ginza Nintendo, Sony, Sega, Canon, Nikon, Toshiba, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan -- these are just some of the brands that helped build Japan's reputation as a leader in cutting-edge technology. But this ancient country is also home to centuries-old traditions, which endure despite the hi-tech revolution that has taken place around them. The contrast between old and new is what makes Japan a truly fascinating country to visit. (Toronto Sun) Aug 21 Honda's U.S. output protects profit Honda Motor Co. became the first Japanese automaker to build cars in the U.S. 28 years ago in part to fulfill a long-held goal of founder Soichiro Honda. The company's success in shifting production is shielding profits from the yen's advance to a 15-year high against the dollar. A record 89 percent of Honda and Acura-brand autos sold in the U.S. through July were built in Honda's plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, up from 82.2 percent a year earlier. Rivals Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. each made 68 percent of vehicles sold in the U.S. at North American plants, according to the carmakers. (Japan Times) Aug 18 Nissan to give temps some stability Nissan Motor Co. will forgo using job-placement agencies and start directly hiring all temporary nonengineering staff in phases beginning in October in an apparent effort to provide employment stability to workers in line with a labor office request, company officials said Wednesday. Nissan's move may spur other companies to rethink their hiring practices, analysts say, although Toyota and Honda say they have no current plans to follow suit. (Japan Times) Aug 10 Honda recalls 434,000 vehicles in N. America, other regions Honda Motor Co. on Monday announced the recall of a total of about 434,000 vehicles in North America and other regions due to a defect that could cause the cars to roll away if they are parked incorrectly. The recall affects such vehicles as the Accord and Civic from the 2003 and 2004 model years. There are some 384,000 cars under recall in the United States, about 44,000 in Canada and a total of roughly 6,000 in Germany and Latin America. (AP) Aug 4 Japan's automakers recover but challenges remain Japan's top automakers reported strong results for the quarter ended June as they reap the benefits of a rebound in global demand, but concerns such as a strong yen cloud their outlook, say analysts. The top three automakers, Toyota, Honda and Nissan, saw quarterly profits surge on-year as the industry recovers from the lows hit in a financial crisis that forced the companies to scale back production and slash thousands of jobs. (AFP) Aug 4 More Hondas are built in U.S. than in Japan For the first time in its history, Honda Motor Co. built more vehicles in the United States during the April-June quarter than it did in Japan. Honda, the first Japanese company to build a car factory in the United States, said its U.S. output totaled 236,819 vehicles in its fiscal first quarter. It produced 236,559 vehicles in Japan in the same period. Spokesman David Iida confirmed Tuesday that it was the first time that Honda's U.S. vehicle output had exceeded Japan's for a full quarter. (Detroit News) Jul 19 Honda to have plug-in hybrid by 2013 Honda Motor President Takanobu Ito will announce Hond's hybrid and alternative vehicle plans at a news conference on Tuesday -- and they will include both a plug-in hybrid car and an all-electric vehicle in 2013, according the Nikkei business daily in Japan and reported by Reuters. The paper also said Honda is considering building its Insight and two other hybrids in the U.S. and plans to expand its lineup of hybrids to five or so by 2013. It also said the electric car will roll out first in the U.S., according to the Reuters report. (USA Today) Jul 17 A Japanese Steve Jobs? Why, asks a Japanese magazine, wasn't the iPad invented in Japan? The short answer would be that Steve Jobs isn't Japanese. Japan does, however, have a similarly hard-driving perfectionist manager in Mr. Tadashi Yanai, head of Fast Retailing, who is rapidly turning his chain of clothing stores, Uniqlo, into a global brand like Sony or Honda. Uniqlo, offering reasonably priced casual ware, has recently opened flagship stores in Paris, Moscow and Shanghai, with plans for overseas sales to surpass domestic revenues by 2015. This year the majority of its 300 new hires were Japanese, while some 100 were from China, South Korea and elsewhere. (Japan Times) Jul 7 Prius ranks as nation's top car for 14th month The Prius ranked as the nation's top-selling car in June, clinching the No. 1 spot for the 14th straight month on the back of brisk demand for green vehicles. Toyota Motor Corp. sold 31,876 of the gas-electric hybrids last month, far outnumbering Honda's fuel-efficient Fit, which came in second with 15,955 sales, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Tuesday. (Japan Times) Jun 30 Japan's big four car makers issue over 100,000 recalls Car makers Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors will recall more than 100,000 vehicles in Japan due to defective air bags and seat belts, the transport ministry said Wednesday. The recalls trace back to a single supplier, Tokyo-based parts maker Takata, local media reported. The company also supplies Audi, Daimler, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors. Toyota Motor will recall 50,738 vehicles, Honda 24,522, and Nissan 35,964 built in 2000-2001 due to problems with the airbag inflator in the passenger seat that causes shards to fly out when the airbag opens, the ministry said. (AFP) Jun 25 Soccer: Japan win triggers fan frenzy Soccer fans nationwide threw early morning parties and celebrations Friday as Japan's national team qualified for the final 16 in the World Cup by defeating Denmark 3-1 in Thursday's match in South Africa. At a sports bar in Osaka, hometown of star player Keisuke Honda, about 1,300 fans gathered for the game, which kicked off around 3 a.m. Friday, Japan time, and exploded when he and Yasuhito Endo, another star who plays for local club Gamba Osaka, scored from direct free kicks. After the final whistle, which marked Japan's first foray into the final 16 on foreign soil, some 50 Blue Samurai fans ran through downtown Osaka and jumped into the locally renowned Dotombori River, right in front of patrolling police officers. (Japan Times) Jun 24 Soccer: Japan outclass Denmark to join Dutch in last 16 Japan have comfortably beaten Denmark 3-1 at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg to book their place in the last 16 of the World Cup. First half goals from Keisuke Honda and Yasuhito Endo gave the Danes a mountain to climb. They never looked like they would recover and a miserable night was completed when Shinji Okazaki added a third in the 87th minute, shortly after a Jon Dahl Tomasson 81st minute goal had given Denmark a glimmer of hope. The Danes were comprehensively outplayed by Japan who produced their most resolute and skilful display of the tournament so far. As runners up in Group E Japan will now face Paraguay in Pretoria on Tuesday for a place in quarter-finals. (CNN) Jun 24 Soccer: Japan overpower Denmark to cruise into last 16 A pair of fabulous first-half free kicks from Keisuke Honda and Yasuhito Endo and a late strike from substitute Shinji Okazaki powered Japan to a 3-1 win over Denmark on Thursday and into the second round of the World Cup finals. The Japanese needed only a point to secure their passage into the last 16 but an ultimately comfortable victory in their final Group E game means they join already qualified Netherlands in the last 16, where they will meet Group F winners Paraguay in Pretoria on June 29. Takeshi Okada's men wrapped up the group phase with six points, three behind the Netherlands, who won 2-1 against Cameroon. (AP) Jun 24 Honda new hybrid to be cheapest one in Japan Honda Motor Co 's new hybrid car will cost one fifth less than the cheapest hybrid on the Japanese market, according to a newspaper report a move that may make hybrids low profit margin models for automakers. The new car will cost around 1.5 million yen (USD 16,570), making it the cheapest hybrid in Japan when it goes on sale this autumn, the Nikkei business daily said. It will cost about 400,000 yen less than the Insight, Honda's other hybrid offering, and about 200,000 yen more than Honda's popular gasoline-powered Fit compact car, it said. (moneycontrol.com) Jun 23 China strikes continue to hurt Toyota, Honda Toyota Motor Corp. said production at one of its main factories in China remained halted Wednesday because of a strike at a supplier, the latest Chinese labor action to hit a Japanese carmaker in recent weeks. Honda Motor Co., which has repeatedly been forced to suspend production in China due to strikes, also said it halted operations there again as a fresh walkout disrupted parts supplies. (Japan Times) Jun 21 As China wages, yuan rise, exporting to get costly Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. suppliers sacrificed earnings in China by raising wages to end strikes, and Beijing's decision to allow greater exchange-rate flexibility may slow plans to export vehicles from the nation as the currency appreciates. China's central bank will allow the yuan more flexibility, it said in a statement Saturday, signaling an end to the currency's two-year-old peg to the dollar. The currency climbed against the dollar at its fastest pace in 20 months and forward contracts jumped. (Japan Times) Jun 17 With concessions, Honda strike fizzles in China A strike at a Honda auto parts factory here in southeastern China collapsed on Monday morning, as Honda's hiring of hundreds of replacement workers on Sunday prompted most of the strikers to return to work. More than 100 strikers held a rally outside the factory on Monday morning, watching silently and despondently as replacement workers and former strikers filed through the factory gates. A factory manager with the voice of an auctioneer counted off the minutes until the morning shift started and exhorted the strikers to return to work, using lines like, "We won't give your job to the new workers if you come in now." (New York Times) Jun 15 Soccer: Okada shifts focus to next match National team coach Takeshi Okada has warned his players not to get carried away after beating Cameroon 1-0 on Monday and insists Japan's first- ever World Cup triumph outside its own shores will count for nothing if it loses its next two games. Keisuke Honda was Japan's driving force, the CSKA Moscow star scoring the winner shortly before halftime as the Blue Samurai tamed the Indomitable Lions at Free State Stadium to join the Netherlands, which beat Denmark 2-0 earlier in the day, on three points in Group E. (Japan Times) Jun 14 Soccer: Japan victorious as Cameroon Lions sleep Japan ended a dismal run of results to record their first World Cup victory on foreign soil on Monday with surprise 1-0 Group E victory over one of Africa's brightest hopes Cameroon at the Free State stadium. Makeshift striker Keisuke Honda's 39th minute goal ended a dismal five-match winless run with just one goal scored while Cameroon's Indomitable Lions proved toothless and skipper Samuel Eto'o had a largely ineffective game. Indeed, the Japanese fans who wore blue T-shirts with the slogan "Eto'o Who?" were proved right. Japan join the Netherlands as the day's Group E winners after the Dutch beat Denmark 2-0 in the early match. (Reuters) Jun 10 Families that read together stay together On his days off, Yoshihito Honda likes nothing better than sitting down with his wife, Kaori, and reading books with their two children. As they read, the Hondas encourage Rina, 10, and Seishu, 5, to join in and share their feelings about the book. "I liked the scene when Hasami-kun got mad," one of the children said. "It was nice that they let him play with them," the other said. As the family in Yamatsurimachi, Fukushima Prefecture, read the picture book "Enpitsu no Osumo" (Sumo wrestling between pencils), the conversation around the table flowed as the pages turned. Honda, 36, and his wife both work full-time so it is often difficult to find time to spend with their children. Reading books provides quality time that deepens communication and strengthens bonds. (Yomiuri) Jun 8 Soccer: Tinkering Okada ponders lone striker's role for Honda Fretting over his team's lack of firepower, coach Takeshi Okada could be tempted to convert CSKA Moscow midfielder Keisuke Honda into a lone striker for Japan's World Cup opener against Cameroon at the expense of Shinji Okazaki. Shimizu S-Pulse ace Okazaki, who scored more international goals than any other player in the world in 2009, is going through a lean period and has not found the net since Japan beat Bahrain back in March. (AP) Jun 8 Another Honda-linked China plant on strike Honda Motor Co. affiliate Yutaka Giken Co. closed a factory in China after workers went on strike demanding higher pay, the second walkout to affect the automaker in less than a month. Employees at Foshan Fengfu Autoparts Co., a venture operated by Yutaka Giken and Taiwan's Full Wei Industrial Co. in Foshan, Guangdong Province, began the strike Monday, said Kazuhito Anma, a spokesman for Yutaka Giken in Tokyo. (Japan Times) Jun 7 Soccer: Keisuke Honda issues rallying cry to Japan team Keisuke Honda has hit back at Japan's critics following four consecutive defeats, insisting his side 'have nothing to lose' in South Africa. Japan and their coach Takeshi Okada have been under increasing pressure since their 2-0 loss to the Ivory Coast, which followed on from defeats to England, Serbia and South Korea at home. But ahead of the Group E opener against Cameroon a week today, 23-year-old CSKA Moscow midfielder Honda issued a determined message ahead of his World Cup debut. (telegraph.co.uk) Jun 3 Honda's China strike a lesson for Japanese exporters After an unprecedented strike logjammed Honda's China production line, Japanese firms in the country may need to redraw their plans in a growing market that has emboldened low-wage workers, analysts say. As China's economy surges, demands for higher wages are posing a headache for Japanese companies facing higher costs but could also be a boon for others banking on rising incomes to spur demand for high-quality goods. Japan's number two carmaker on Wednesday restarted operations at its auto parts factory after offering a 24 percent pay rise to placate staff who had walked out on May 27. (AFP) May 27 Strike halts Honda plants in China Honda Motor Co. said Thursday it has halted output at its four Chinese auto plants after workers at a parts factory went on strike to demand a raise. Honda closed two plants in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, on May 24 and factories in Guangzhou and Wuhan, Hubei Province, on Wednesday, Tomoko Uchida, a spokeswoman for the Tokyo-based company. (Japan Times) [ More... ]