Tag - carmakers

 
 

CARMAKERS

Denso’s signboard outside its office in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2026
Denso mulls withdrawing acquisition offer for chipmaker Rohm
Denso, part of the Toyota Motor group, is finding it difficult to gain support from Rohm for the acquisition offer, sources said.
Nissan is pushing ahead with a growth plan for China that calls for annual sales to reach 1 million cars by the end of the decade.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 26, 2026
Nissan is betting on ‘China speed’ to get back on its feet
The carmaker is pushing ahead with a growth plan for China that calls for annual sales to reach 1 million cars by the end of the decade.
A CATL sodium-ion battery model. Sodium-based batteries have become more appealing with advances in energy density, which mean they’re now capable of powering vehicles.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 24, 2026
Laps of icy roads in China show sodium batteries making an EV breakthrough
The innovation has long promised to deliver safer and low-cost rechargeable cells compared to lithium batteries.
A street in Cairo in March. Nissan hopes to benefit from Egypt, a country that has been charting a manufacturing and export-led revival.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 24, 2026
Nissan to ramp up Egypt carmaking in bid to boost Africa sales
A new production line will see the automaker deliver at least 10,000 extra cars annually.
Hanoi announced a ban on petrol-fueled motorbikes from its city center last year in an effort to improve air quality.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 24, 2026
Hanoi reviews petrol motorbike ban opposed by Honda ahead of Takaichi visit
The ban, announced last year, was aimed ​at improving air quality in the Vietnamese capital, which at times tops the list of ‌the world’s ‌most polluted cities.
A worker handles aluminum extrusions at the Kato Light Metal Industry factory in Kanie, Aichi Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 20, 2026
Japanese manufacturers hurt most by aluminum shortage from Iran war
Domestic carmakers get about 70% of their aluminum imports from the Middle East, according to the nation’s top auto lobby.
A prototype of BYD's Racco electric minivehicle series to hit the Japanese market  this summer
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 19, 2026
Compact EV competition heating up in Japan
Some industry officials expect competition can help revitalize the domestic EV market and increase sales.
Nissan plans to reduce the number of models from the current 56 to 45 and streamline 80% of its volume into three main "families” of vehicles built on shared platforms.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 14, 2026
Nissan’s Espinosa plans 20% reduction in models in plan to reinvigorate carmaker
The long-awaited strategy marks the CEO’s first effort to reshape Nissan after its troubled, two-decade partnership with Renault and an aborted merger with Honda Motor.
A Tesla Model 3 is shown driving on the highway with FSD 14.2.2.3 self-driving supervised software in Irvine, California, in January.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 11, 2026
Tesla’s supervised self-driving software gets Dutch OK, first in Europe
The electric car maker hopes to see similar action from the rest of the European Union soon.
A Honda car outside the Honda headquarters in Tokyo. The company is expected to report an annual loss for the last fiscal year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 3, 2026
Honda needs a big pivot, and maybe a partner, after big EV-related losses
Brand power and a solid reputation will help as it undertakes an overhaul, with a likely shift toward hybrids.
Toyota’s electric vehicle bZ is shown to the media in May in Plano, Texas.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 3, 2026
Toyota expands lineup of ‘Tesla killer’ EVs in U.S. car market
The world’s largest carmaker currently offers in the United States four imported electric vehicles, and will add a fifth this month.
Electric vehicles on display outside the Geely Auto Group Global Comprehensive Safety Center in Ningbo, China, in December last year
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2026
Cheap Chinese cars are waiting on Detroit’s doorstep
Nervous U.S. automakers fear it’s just a question of when Chinese competitors will succeed in cracking the market.
U.S. sales from six Japanese automakers fell in the first quarter as demand cooled after pre-tariff buying.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 2, 2026
Japanese automakers’ U.S. sales fall 5.4% in first quarter
The six companies that include Honda, Subaru and Toyota saw growing demand in the U.S. last year ahead of President Donald Trump’s tariffs being introduced.
Toyota’s global sales in February fell 2.3% from last year to 806,905 units.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 30, 2026
Toyota sales fall, while Japan’s automakers brace for Iran impact
The carmaker was hurt by aggressive competition in electric vehicles in China and weak demand at home in Japan.
Almost one out of every three motorcycles sold globally is a Honda, generating the majority of the manufacturer’s operating profit despite accounting for less than a fifth of sales.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 26, 2026
Bikes keep Honda afloat, yet even that business is under pressure
The company’s costly misfire on electric cars has dramatically increased the stakes for it to avoid making the same mistakes with motorcycles.
The energy crisis caused by the war in Iran is strengthening the case for electric vehicles for some consumers. Chinese carmakers are expected to be the big winners.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 26, 2026
The oil shock is accelerating Asia’s EV revolution
EVs have already hit solid double-digit market shares in multiple emerging markets, as falling battery costs and tax incentives helped undercut conventional cars.
A Sony-Honda Afeela 1 Signature electric vehicle. Development of the first- and second-generation Afeela EVs will be shelved effective immediately, the companies said in a joint statement.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 26, 2026
Honda and Sony drop joint EV development project
The decision to scrap the venture underscores the strain on legacy automakers due to high costs and fluctuating demand.
An employee points at a "sold out" sticker at a used-car export complex in Incheon, South Korea.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 25, 2026
Lamborghinis stranded in Sri Lanka as war disrupts Asia’s used-car trade
Japan and South Korea exported a combined $19 billion worth of used cars last year, with Japan accounting for a little ⁠more than half of that.
Toyota's Tokyo headquarters. The company is investing another $1 billion in its U.S. operations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 24, 2026
Toyota plans $1 billion investment in two of its U.S. plants
The automaker is increasing production and preparing one plant for electric vehicle manufacturing.
A BYD vehicle in a showroom in Makati City, Philippines. Early signs show electric vehicle makers such as China’s BYD are benefiting from a surge in crude oil prices due to the Persian Gulf conflict.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 20, 2026
BYD showrooms are bustling across Asia after Iran oil shock
Early signs point to Asian electric vehicle makers such as China’s BYD benefiting from a surge in crude oil prices due to the Persian Gulf conflict.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival