WIRE REPORTS

UAW votes on agreement to shut down Calif. plant The Associated Press The facility, California's sole remaining automobile assembly plant, started 25 years ago as a joint venture between Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors ... and more » Harman Aiming to Supplant Microsoft in Ford Cars BusinessWeek Harman recently landed a “big” contract with Toyota Motor Corp. and will “go after” Ford business, he said. “When you talk about Ford's Sync, ... Nomura Turns to a Foreigner From Lehman Wall Street Journal Corporate-governance observers criticized Toyota Motor Corp. for the absence of any foreigners on its board, which might have helped it handle a global ... and more » Renault reported in Daimler tieup talks The Japan Times ... automotive concern, following the partnership between Germany's Volkswagen AG and Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp., and the Toyota Motor Corp. group. ... and more » Toyoda won't race at Nurburgring The Japan Times NAGOYA (Kyodo) Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday that President Akio Toyoda has decided not to take part in this May's 24-hour endurance race in Germany as ... and more » Toyota Venture Plant's Union Chief Criticizes Severance Terms BusinessWeek March 17 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp., the world's largest carmaker, added a “gag order” to severance terms for workers at a California ... and more » Ford Motor Co. shares hit five-year high The Associated Press Several Ford models now consistently score above Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. in widely followed rankings by Consumer Reports magazine. ... and more » TRW sees benefits from auto safety focus-INTERVIEW-UPDATE 2 Forexyard Plant said "there certainly is heightened safety awareness" across the auto industry because of the attention paid to Toyota Motor Corp safety recalls. ... and more » Automakers urge Congress not to block new emissions limits The Detroit News Washington -- Detroit's Big Three automakers, Toyota Motor Corp. and six other automakers urged Congress today not to bar the Environmental Protection ... and more »

DAILY REPORTS

Mar 15 Toyota, Nissan others set up Japan group to promote electric vehicles, charging standard Toyota and three other Japanese automakers together with a power company have set up a group to promote electric vehicles by standardizing recharging machines and marketing the technology abroad. Representatives of Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co., Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Fuji Heavy Industries and Tokyo Electric Power Co. gathered at a Tokyo hotel Monday to announce the association, which includes about 160 businesses, some of them foreign, and government organizations. The officials said the time may have arrived for electric vehicles to really take off not only in Japan but also around the world as concerns grow about emissions and dependence on oil. But the main hurdles that need to be overcome are better battery technology, costs and having recharging stations in convenient locations. (Canadian Press) Mar 13 ABC admits tinkering with Toyota story: U.S. media ABC News has acknowledged it used visuals in its story on sudden acceleration problems with Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles that did not show what was actually happening, U.S. media reported. The network's Feb. 22 story illustrated a report by David Gilbert, a Southern Illinois University professor who suggested that a design flaw in Toyotas might trigger a short circuit that would go undetected by the car's computer system, causing sudden unintended acceleration. (AP) Mar 10 Yakuza gets bailout for its four-finger economy Japan's gangsters may remember 2010 as a banner year. That's not how the vast majority of Japan's 126 million people will see it. Deflation is accelerating, Japan Airlines Corp. went bankrupt and the hits at Toyota Motor Corp. keep on coming. And the year is barely 2 1/2 months old. Amid such gloom, it will soon be good to be a yakuza, a member of Japan's organized-crime syndicates. We learned this week that almost 3,000 consumer-finance companies risk being shut out of the market by the end of June as stricter rules take effect. It will be a boon for extortionate lenders. It also helps explain why Japan's central bank has virtually no chance of ending deflation. (BusinessWeek) Mar 10 Japan stocks flat; Toyota falls on mounting woes Japanese stocks finished flat Wednesday, as declines by shipping lines and Toyota Motor Corp. offset encouraging economic data. The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index slipped 3.73 points, or .04 percent, to 10,563.92 in thin trading. With few trading cues, the overall market struggled to find direction. The broader Topix index fell 0.2 percent to 922.44. Toyota shed 1.4 percent to 3,445 yen after the besieged automaker faced more concerns about its quality problems. (BusinessWeek) Mar 6 Toyota fiasco a wake-up call for Japan's companies Toyota's poor handling of its massive global recalls has highlighted a glaring weakness in Japan's otherwise sophisticated corporate culture: crisis management know-how. Major companies have detailed plans for dealing with killer earthquakes or terrorist attacks but are largely unprepared to deal with disasters of their own making like product flaws that could lead to injuries or even death. Toyota, a brand-name once synonymous with quality, has come under fire for being slow and indecisive in responding to the safety problems that ultimately led to recalls of 8.5 million vehicles worldwide. The puzzle is why Japanese companies that confidently stride the global corporate stage could set themselves up to fail on this crucial score. (AP) Mar 4 Toyota exposed by tactic of protecting its prince Ario Toyoda returned from his "sorry" tour yesterday promising again to restore the automaker's quality reputation, but the question being asked at home is whether he has the qualities to lead Toyota back to the high ground. Toyota sales are recovering and its position at the top of the pile of global car companies remains, but its aura of product quality and management excellence is badly damaged. His last stop in Beijing, where the Chinese had the unusual and gratifying spectacle of a Japanese industry captain bowing in apology, was eased by local executives revealing that Toyota's Chinese vehicle sales grew 30 per cent year-on-year in February. (The Australian) Mar 2 Toyota protecting share of China market In the wake of massive recalls of its vehicles worldwide and mounting criticism in the United States, Toyota Motor Corp. moved quickly in China, the world's largest auto market, with President Akio Toyoda offering an apology for mass recalls. Toyoda stopped over in Beijing on his way back home from the United States, where he testified at a congressional hearing, and held a press conference Monday to speak to the Chinese media about Toyota's latest recalls. The beleaguered automaker aims to restore trust in Toyota vehicles, and in his remarks in China, touted the company's corporate principle to make safety its top priority in an effort to stop public concerns from growing. (Yomiuri) Mar 2 Toyota repairing leaky oil hoses in US, Japan Toyota is repairing more than 1.6 million vehicles around the world, including the U.S. and Japan, for potentially leaky oil hoses - the latest in a spate of quality problems battering the world's biggest automaker. The fix affects 1.3 million vehicles in North America, including repairs that have yet to be officially announced on 100,000 Highlander crossovers and 215,000 Sienna minivans, Toyota Motor Corp. spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said Tuesday. (AP) Mar 1 Toyota chief apologizes to Chinese consumers for global recall Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda apologized to Chinese consumers Monday for his company's massive vehicle recalls around the world. The Japanese automaker vows to prevent a recurrence of similar problems, he said at a press conference in Beijing, adding it plans to appoint a chief quality officer for the Chinese market as part of its efforts. "I apologize to you from the bottom of my heart for causing concern and trouble in connection with Toyota's recalls around the world including in China," he said. (AP) Feb 28 Lessons to learn from Japan's ups and downs Mention of Japan stirs both awe and antipathy among many Chinese. The recent fiasco of Toyota seems to be yet another example adding to Japan's decline from its past glory. Again, Chinese people received the news with mixed feelings. Has Japan run out of steam in the race against Western developed countries? Will Japan's experience be repeated by other Asian countries, many of which have charted the Japanese growth model to the prosperity? Japan's history of ups and downs offers much food for thought. (Global Times) Feb 27 U.S. is cast as villain in Japan A series of aggressive federal probes into the recalls of Toyota autos are looking at whether the automaker has been less than forthcoming about the safety defects in some of its vehicles. But in Japan many believe it's the U.S. government that has something to hide. Congressional hearings on the recalls, they say, are part of conspiracy to help prop up Toyota's largest American rival, General Motors Co., which the government bailed out of bankruptcy last year, becoming the majority shareholder. (Los Angeles Times) Feb 25 Soccer: Under-fire Okada names strong squad for Asian Cup dead rubber Under-fire Japan coach Takeshi Okada on Thursday named Catania striker Takayuki Morimoto and four other European-based players to a full-strength squad for next week's 2011 Asian Cup final- round qualifier at home to Bahrain. Along with Morimoto, Okada has recalled unsettled Espanyol playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura and fellow midfielders Makoto Hasebe (VfL Wolfsburg), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble) and Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow) to a 20-man squad for Wednesday's match at Toyota Stadium. (AP) Feb 25 Toyota chief's testimony closely watched in Japan Japan appeared largely relieved Thursday that much-anticipated testimony by Toyota's chief executive before U.S. lawmakers was finally over, though analysts said the company's recall woes are no closer to being solved. Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda's appearance before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, was closely watched in Japan, where the company his grandfather founded is a national icon. It was the top item on local morning news programs. At least one channel briefly broadcast his testimony live, where it took place Wednesday in Washington. (AP) Feb 24 Toyota chief apologizes over recalls, accidents in House testimony Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda on Wednesday apologized over safety problems that have led to the automaker's massive recalls as he faced his first showdown at a congressional panel with U.S. lawmakers who want a better explanation for various problems with its vehicles. "I am deeply sorry for any accidents that Toyota drivers have experienced," Toyoda said in a statement in English at the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. (AP) Feb 24 Japan Inc.'s reputation rides on Toyoda As Akio Toyoda prepares to sit before the klieg lights of a U.S. Congressional committee in Washington on Wednesday, the midnight lights of television sets will glow in corporate offices and government halls of power in Tokyo. Riding on his testimony, Toyoda -- the grandson of the company founder who took the reins as Toyota president in June -- carries not just the reputation of his company and his future leading it, but the weight of Japan Inc. (CNN) Feb 23 Japan stocks down as yen rises, investors await Toyota testimony Japanese stocks retreated Tuesday as investors locked in profits from the previous day's big gains and waited to see how Toyota Motor Corp. executives fare under questioning by U.S. lawmakers. The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average slipped 48.37 points, or 0.5 percent, to 10,352.10. On Monday, the index rose 2.7 percent in its sharpest climb in 11 weeks. (canadianbusiness.com) Feb 23 Toyota's fractured structure may be at root of safety problems In a bold national TV appearance early this month, a top executive at Toyota's U.S. sales office in Torrance declared that the automaker had discovered the exact causes of sudden acceleration in its vehicles: floor mats and sticking pedals. But only days earlier, executives from Toyota's regulatory office in Washington told congressional investigators that they could not be absolutely sure what was behind the problem. And the company's attorneys acknowledged shortly after the meeting that sticking pedals would not cause sudden acceleration. (Los Angeles Times) Feb 22 Japan beset by auto apathy Japan was not a fun place to own a car even before wide-ranging recalls from Toyota and Honda sullied the country's reputation for producing quality automobiles. Roads are crowded, narrow and dull; highway speed limits top out at 80 kilometers per hour, and the toll fees are steep - drivers on the 325-kilometer trip from Tokyo to Nagoya before the financial crisis broke last year had to pay 7,100 yen (US$77.47). Within Tokyo, a parking space costs the equivalent of US$300 a month and up. (Asia Times) Feb 21 Toyoda to face tough hearing At the upcoming U.S. congressional hearings on the recent recalls by Toyota Motor Corp., the firm's president, Akio Toyo-da, is likely to face a barrage of questions over whether the automaker acted swiftly enough in recalling defective vehicles. Toyoda, who left for the United States on Saturday after being summoned to the public hearings, reportedly intends to claim that Toyota vehicles are safe to drive. The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing Tuesday, while the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which summoned Toyoda, will hold a hearing Wednesday. (Yomiuri) Feb 20 Financial squeeze for students Toyota President Akio Toyoda, known as "the prince" in Japan, was groomed for years to head the automaker his grandfather founded. His appointment in 2009 was full of promise - a morale booster for the rank and file who expected that a youthful Toyoda in the hot seat would help steer the carmaker through a brutal slump in the global auto market. (Japan Times) Feb 19 Toyota puts ads in U.S. papers Toyota Motor Corp. took out full-page advertisements in major U.S. newspapers Thursday, pledging its commitment to customers in response to a rising uproar over the massive vehicle recall. In the ads, titled "Our Commitment to Customers" and published in newspapers including The Wall Street Journal, the automaker said it plans to operate in a more open and transparent way, including being more receptive to customers' opinions. It was the third time Toyota has published full-page ads since January. (Yomiuri) Feb 17 Some in U.S. spring to Toyota's defense While U.S. public criticism of Toyota Motor Corp. remains strong over the company's handling of motor vehicle defects, there also is a growing move here to defend the automaker, with governors of states home to Toyota plants sending letters supporting the automaker to the federal government and Washington lawmakers, and some local media warning against "Toyota bashing." Lying behind the rising support for Toyota is the fear of possible serious blows to regional economies, where Toyota plants generate a large number of jobs. (Yomiuri) Feb 16 Lawsuits against Toyota increase sharply in U.S. Following Toyota Motor Corp.'s massive recall of its vehicles, there has been a steep increase in the number of lawsuits filed against the automaker in the United States, with suits seeking damages for injury or for the depreciated value of the recalled Toyota vehicles. As of Sunday, the number of lawsuits had reached nearly 60. As it is common for courts in the United States to order hefty sums of compensation, the latest development may pose a serious threat to Toyota. (Yomiuri) Feb 16 Toyota to cut U.S. output further after recalls U.S. regulators on Tuesday opened an investigation into whether Toyota Motor Corp acted in a timely way to recall cars for acceleration problems, and the automaker moved to slow its U.S. production to avoid a costly ballooning of inventories. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had requested production data, consumer complaints and other documents expected to shed light on how and when Toyota learned of problems affecting about 6 million vehicles it has recalled in the United States. (Reuters) Feb 14 Toyota quality control to tap foreign specialists About 10 foreign specialists will join an ad-hoc panel to be set up soon by Toyota Motor Corp. with the aim of maintaining the quality of parts and equipment used to build Toyota cars overseas, company officials said. The committee will comprise specialists from Japan, the United States, Europe and other parts of the world, with Toyota President Akio Toyoda as panel chief. (Yomiuri) [ More... ]