For Alan Ohnsman's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Automakers intending to develop driverless cars need to work as much on software design as mechanical engineering, according to the researcher leading Nissan Motor Co.'s automated-vehicle program. Making cars that are "deliberative" in assessing road conditions, rather than just reactive, requires artificial intelligence, said Maarten ...
Honda Motor Co.'s Acura, struggling to boost U.S. deliveries amid competition from bigger luxury brands, should see faster growth starting in August with the arrival of a new sports sedan, the division's U.S. chief said. The midsize TLX, priced from $30,995, goes into production at ...
Honda Motor Co. is expanding its lineup with the HR-V sport-utility vehicle in an effort to boost sales by tapping a growing U.S. market for small crossovers. The 2015 HR-V, which shares a platform with the subcompact Fit hatchback, will debut "this winter," the Tokyo-based ...
Toyota Motor Corp.'s Scion line, a U.S. experiment intended to win over young buyers with idiosyncratic designs and low prices, will overhaul its lineup amid fading sales as the brand reaches adolescence. Beginning in 2015, 12 years after Scion's establishment as Toyota's third U.S. brand, ...
Toyota Motor Corp. is making rare styling changes in the Camry sedan just halfway into the car's usual design cycle, a sign the automaker is eager to stem gains made by Hyundai Motor Co.'s Sonata, which also is being reworked for 2015. The latest Camry ...
Toyota Motor Corp.'s North American chief, preparing to sell Camry-sized hydrogen sedans next year, said he's "bullish" about advances in the company's fuel cell system and wants more U.S. supply of the Japan-built cars. Toyota, the world's largest seller of hybrid-electric autos, is to sell ...
Nissan Motor Co., which reported record U.S. sales of Leaf hatchbacks in 2013, is optimistic that it can soon double deliveries, Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn said. Sales of the battery-powered Leaf jumped 130 percent last year to 22,610 vehicles, aided by 2,529 deliveries in ...
Toyota Motor Corp., which is getting ready to sell Camry-size sedans powered by fuel cells in the U.S. next year, plans to help create a network of hydrogen stations that may include pumps at car dealers and even trash dumps. The world's largest automaker showed ...
Honda Motor Co.'s No. 2 executive, asked to identify the automaker's weak spot, spoke bluntly: Acura luxury sedans have to get better. The world will soon learn whether they have. Next month Honda will introduce the Acura TLX to replace its aging TL, the brand's ...
Honda Motor Co. Executive Vice President Tetsuo Iwamura said the automaker will set pay based on reaching profitability targets rather than government directives on how fast to increase compensation. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called four meetings since September with union and business leaders to ...
