Tag - carmakers

 
 

CARMAKERS

A wafer fab owned by Nexperia. The Dutch chipmaker has warned Japanese auto parts makers about a potential supply shortage.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 23, 2025
Nexperia warns Japanese automakers of uncertain chip supply
The Dutch government seized control of Nijmegen-based Nexperia earlier this month in an unprecedented step intended to secure European access to the components made by the company.
Nissan project leader Junichi Inoue stands in front of the company's prototype electric minivehicle that can be charged using an onboard solar power generation system, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Oct. 15.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 22, 2025
Nissan develops solar-powered electric minivehicle
The vehicle can eliminate the need for grid-based charging if used mainly for short-distance driving including for commuting or shopping.
NIO electric vehicles on display at a showroom in Beijing on Oct. 18. China's auto market is still proving irresistible for new entrants, despite the challenges of turning a profit.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 22, 2025
Newcomers shrug off China’s EV headwinds with bets on niche cars
Estimates indicate that by 2030, just 15 of the 129 companies in China that sell electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles will be financially viable.
A sample of monazite, a mineral used in the rare-earth industry to extract elements such as cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium, is displayed at the Geological Museum of China in Beijing on Oct. 14.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 21, 2025
'They can shut us down in two months': Carmakers race China's rare-earths curbs
Most motors that don't rely on rare earths are years away, as are efforts to develop new rare-earth mines and processing plants outside China, industry experts say.
Japanese EV production is focusing on batteries as automakers compete for the lightest, most durable models and the longest driving range.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 19, 2025
EV battery race heats up among Japanese automakers
Batteries account for about one-third of the price of an EV and largely determine its driving range and durability, fueling fierce competition for innovation.
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed orders expanding credits for U.S. auto and engine production and setting new 25% tariffs on imported medium- and heavy-duty trucks and parts starting Nov. 1.
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2025
Trump OKs expanding credits for U.S. auto production and issues 25% truck duties
The tariffs, which the orders say are being made on national security grounds, are aimed at shifting more auto production to the United States.
A deal for TiAuto would give Marubeni a foothold in Africa’s largest economy.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 17, 2025
Marubeni in talks to acquire Carlyle-backed TiAuto
The deal for the South African retailer of automotive tires and parts may be valued at about 2.6 billion rand ($149 million).
A Ford F-150 pickup truck on the assembly line at a factory in Dearborn, Michigan. The Japanese government might be considering the purchase of some of the pickup trucks to meet its obligations as part of a trade deal with the United States.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 10, 2025
Ford F-150 might be imported by the Japanese government: report
The pickup trucks would be used by local transport ministry offices for construction and road patrols.
A Toyota plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. The management-led offer to take a Toyota supplier private at ¥2,050 per share is too low and highlights shortfalls in Japan’s MBO regulations, said a portfolio manager and head of Japan equity at investment firm GMO.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 8, 2025
Toyota supplier’s management buyout plan stokes investor rebuke of Japan rules
The tension around Pacific Industrial’s MBO proposal highlights the debate over the TSE’s rules requiring companies to provide more disclosures on price fairness and procedures.
Toyota sold 10.8 million cars in 2024, a slight drop from the previous year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 8, 2025
Toyota arm that keeps 150 million cars on road also top-earning
Toyota’s value chain arm is set to exceed operating profit from new car sales during the fiscal year ending March 2026 after reaching a record ¥2 trillion the previous year.
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda's ¥4.7 trillion buyout plan for Toyota Industries is delayed due to slower-than-expected antitrust reviews overseas.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 7, 2025
Toyota Industries $31 billion buyout plan faces antitrust delays
The regulatory hurdle could be the first of many as Toyoda attempts to tighten his family’s grip on Toyota in a deal that would rank among the biggest buyouts on record anywhere.
A BYD electric vehicle dealership in Berlin on Sept. 12
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 7, 2025
China bets on Europe for self-driving tech expansion
Beijing is pushing its companies to dominate autonomous-vehicle development globally while crafting national regulations to provide a clear roadmap at home.
The Daimler Freightliner truck assembly plant in Derramadero, Coahuila state, Mexico
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 7, 2025
Trump announces new 25% large truck tariff starting Nov. 1
It was unclear if a previous Japan-U.S. deal limiting duties on light-duty vehicles would apply under the newly announced tariffs.
A Xiaomi SU7 model electric car is displayed at the Beijing Auto Show in Beijing in April last year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 6, 2025
Porsche and Xiaomi face off over custom-model buyers in China
Xiaomi is competing for consumers who may otherwise opt for an individualized Porsche or another premium European brand.
Isuzu Chairman Masanori Katayama (third from left) and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (center) attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the firm's vehicle plant in South Carolina on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 2, 2025
Isuzu to build first independent U.S. plant
The Japanese commercial vehicle maker aims to ease the impact of high U.S. tariffs by expanding local production.
A new Nissan Rogue compact SUV at a dealership in Richmond, California, in September. Nissan is readying a plug-in hybrid option for its best-selling Rogue model for launch in early 2026 in the U.S. market and reviving its Xterra SUV as a hybrid model.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 1, 2025
Nissan to reboot Xterra SUV as a hybrid, freezes plans for U.S. EV
The Japanese carmaker is planning to boost gas-powered vehicle output in the U.S. in response to President Donald Trump’s trade and environmental policies.
Toyota aims to install 500 fast chargers for electric vehicles at its dealerships in Japan by the end of March 2026.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 30, 2025
Toyota steps up high-speed EV charger installations at dealerships
The carmaker aims to have 500 fast chargers installed at dealerships in Japan by the end of March 2026.
A container truck is loaded with used cars at a used-car export complex in Incheon, South Korea, on Aug. 12.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 30, 2025
South Korea's surge in used-car exports softens impact of U.S. tariffs
South Korea exported $5.5 billion cars in August, up 9% from a year earlier and the highest monthly total on record. Used car exports jumped 35% to $711.5 million the same month.
Players from Yokohama F. Marinos and Liverpool pose for a group photograph ahead of a friendly game at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama on July 30.
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 30, 2025
Nissan considers sale of Yokohama F. Marinos
Nissan has approached multiple companies with offers to sell its 75% stake in the operator of the club, sources say.
A Toyota dealership in Beijing. Toyota’s record sales run, including steady growth in China and North America, lost steam in August.
BUSINESS
Sep 29, 2025
Toyota buoyed by China and North America as Japan sales slump
The world’s biggest carmaker has seen steady growth throughout the year in most major markets despite the recent downturn in Japan and trade turmoil.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.