Tag - carmakers

 
 

CARMAKERS

Nissan Motor has raised $4.5 billion through a junk bond sale in U.S. dollars and euros, part of which carries a record-high coupon rate.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 11, 2025
Nissan clinches $4.5 billion bond deal after orders soar
The automaker is offering a record-high coupon on at least one part of its dollar- and euro-denominated junk bond sale to drum up demand.
In June, the export price index for vehicles shipped to North America plunged 19.4% from a year earlier on a contract currency basis.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 10, 2025
Japanese carmakers slash export prices to U.S. to offset tariff hit
The move raises concerns over companies’ profitability and whether they can continue to keep raising wages at home.
Lei Jun introduces the Xiaomi YU7 sport utility vehicle during a launch event in Beijing on June 26.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 7, 2025
Xiaomi founder’s bold EV bet is paying off where Apple’s failed
The tech firm's success in the EV space has burnished founder Lei Jun’s reputation, making it one of the most valuable companies in China.
Nissan plans to sell convertible bonds and use the proceeds to invest in new products and technologies such as electrification and software-defined vehicles.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 7, 2025
Nissan to sell ¥150 billion of convertible bonds to fund turnaround
Proceeds of the sale will be used to invest in new products and technologies such as electrification and software-defined vehicles.
The Maruti Suzuki India e-Vitara during the Bharat Mobility Global Expo in New Delhi in January
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 4, 2025
Suzuki is becoming a top Japan importer with made-in-India cars
Suzuki beat out Mercedes-Benz to become Japan’s top car importer in June, thanks to the Jimny Nomad and another popular small SUV assembled in India.
Toyota only lifted prices on some models by a few hundred dollars in the U.S. market in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 3, 2025
Japan’s carmakers absorbing tariffs may bolster Trump's position
Just three of Japan’s six major automakers have raised prices in the U.S., and only Subaru’s hike has come close to the 25% tariff imposed on imported vehicles.
A 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander at the Chicago Auto Show in 2023. Last month, Toyota sold 11,577 Grand Highlander SUVs, which its head of brand sales in the U.S. said was the "fastest-turning product in the lineup.”
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2025
Toyota delays EV plans to boost gas-fueled SUV output
The postponement comes amid softening demand for EVs in the U.S.
The Bank of Japan's latest <i>tankan</i> survey beat consensus forecasts as the economy held up better than expected.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2025
Large Japanese companies surprisingly optimistic as U.S. tariffs bite 
In the tankan survey, automakers and smaller companies were relatively pessimistic.
Nissan will begin talks this week to seek job cuts at its Sunderland plant in Britain.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2025
Nissan says it will seek voluntary job cuts at U.K. plant
Nissan said the move was aimed at increasing the efficiency of the Sunderland plant in northeastern England to make it a "leaner, more flexible" operation.
Toyota’s global sales that include subsidiaries Daihatsu and Hino reached 955,532 vehicles last month, up 8% from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 27, 2025
Toyota sales hit third monthly record on Japan and U.S. demand
Toyota’s global sales — including subsidiaries Daihatsu and Hino — rose 8% from a year earlier to reach 955,532 vehicles in May.
The Xiaomi YU7 electric SUV
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 26, 2025
China’s Xiaomi to launch first SUV as shares near record high
Now valued at $187 billion, Xiaomi is worth more than Chinese EV leader BYD as it grows its footprint in the world’s largest car market.
Japanese automakers make 3.3 million cars in the U.S. a year, far more than the 1.37 million that they ship there, Japan's chief trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa says.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 26, 2025
Japan can’t accept 25% car tariffs, Akazawa reiterates
Japanese automakers make roughly 3.3 million cars in the U.S. a year, far more than the 1.37 million that they ship there, the negotiator said.
"I am confident that we have what we need to rebuild our company," said Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa at its headquarters in Yokohama on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 24, 2025
Investors grill new Nissan CEO over job cuts, losses and mounting debt
"We understand your frustration,” Espinosa told stakeholders. "It will not be easy to deliver. But I am confident that we have what we need to rebuild our company.”
An electric motor, jointly developed by Honda and Daido Steel, for hybrid cars that uses no heavy rare earth metals  is displayed at an unveiling in Tokyo in July 2016.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 23, 2025
Honda supplier rethinks China relationship as trade war bites
For Daido Steel, the trade war has meant renewing a push to build rare earth supply routes outside of China.
Lexus GX 550 SUV is displayed at the New York International Auto Show in New York in March last year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 21, 2025
Toyota to raise U.S. auto prices by more than $200 from July
Some Toyota- and Lexus-branded models will see their prices raised by an average of $270 and $208, respectively.
Toyota has filed a lawsuit in a South African court over 2022 flood damages that shuttered its plant near Durban.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2025
Toyota insurer files $361 million South Africa flood damage lawsuit
The claim alleges that by failing to maintain waterways and drainage systems that carried the floodwater, the defendants shared responsibility for the damage.
Japan’s trade surplus with the U.S. last year stood at ¥8.6 trillion ($59.3 billion). Roughly 82% of the gap was due to Japan’s surplus in cars and auto parts.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 19, 2025
U.S. focus on auto trade gap is sticking point for Japan deal
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba briefed CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda and others about the latest developments in the bilateral trade negotiations.
KG Motors CEO Kazunari Kusunoki with the ultra compact electric vehicle Mibot
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2025
This $7,000 single-seat electric car has become a hit in Japan
In the rural suburbs of Hiroshima, a Japanese startup is trying to kick-start the nation’s electric vehicle market with the smallest, cheapest car it can possibly make.
Mitsubishi Motors is raising prices on some of its models, including the gasoline version of Outlander Sport sold in the U.S. market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 18, 2025
Mitsubishi Motors raises U.S. prices as tariffs roil carmakers
The new prices will affect vehicles delivered after Wednesday and won’t be applied to cars currently on display in showrooms.
Honda's experimental reusable rocket during a launching and landing test
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 18, 2025
Honda hails successful test of reusable rocket
Japan's second-biggest carmaker has successfully tested an experimental reusable rocket as it seeks to expand into the space sector.

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.