Tag - cars

 
 

CARS

Nissan’s ProPilot navigates traffic while under human supervision during a test drive in Tokyo last week.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 22, 2025
Nissan revamps ProPilot to rival Tesla's driver-assist technology
The next version will be able to take on complex city streets using fewer cameras and monitors thanks to artificial intelligence software.
Japan's exports slipped 0.1% in August from a year earlier, led by a 13.8% drop in the value of shipments to the U.S., with cars the main drag.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 17, 2025
Japan’s exports fall for fourth month as U.S. shipments tumble
Exports slipped 0.1% in August from a year earlier, led by cars and steel, the Finance Ministry reported Wednesday.
The Audi E5 Sportback, the first model of Audi's series of electric vehicles jointly developed with SAIC, is showcased at a Volkswagen event in Shanghai in April.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 14, 2025
How Chinese EV tech is reshaping global auto design
Licensing deals with major automakers make up relatively small but growing revenue streams for Chinese EV-makers and offer a new quid-pro-quo.
Attendees visit the BYD stand at an auto show in Munich, Germany, on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 12, 2025
'Why not?' Europeans warming up to Chinese electric cars
At the IAA auto fair in Munich this week, Chinese EV makers were out in force, highlighting the determination of the fast-growing car giants to make inroads into Europe.
Mazda cars at the company's main plant in Fuchu, Hiroshima Prefecture, in July
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Sep 6, 2025
U.S. tariffs still spell big pain for Japan's small automakers
Smaller automakers Mitsubishi Motors, Mazda and Subaru are less able to absorb the tariff shock than bigger rivals like Toyota and Honda.
Elon Musk attends the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide, Germany, in March 2022.
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2025
Tesla offers unprecedented $1 trillion pay package to Musk
The long-awaited proposal, designed to incentivize Musk to lead Tesla for years to come, sets a series of ambitious benchmarks he must meet to earn the full payout.
The new Prelude model released by Honda, on Thursday in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 5, 2025
Honda to revive Prelude sports car after 24 years
The major Japanese automaker targets annual domestic sales of 3,500 units for the new Prelude, a hybrid coupe.
Nissan's popular "<i>kei</i> car" Roox is seen displayed outside the company's global headquarters in Yokohama in November.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 22, 2025
Nissan updates popular 'kei car' as it revamps aging lineup
The fourth-generation Roox, better mileage, more safety features and built-in connectivity, will go on sale by the end of the year for ¥1.6 million.
Exports fell 2.6% in value in July from a year earlier, posting the biggest downturn since February 2021, led by cars, auto parts and steel.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 20, 2025
Japan’s exports tumble most in four years as U.S. tariff pain intensifies
Exports fell 2.6% in value from a year earlier, sliding more than the median forecast of a 2.1% decline, the Finance Ministry has reported.
Nissan workers walk outside its Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. Nissan plans to shut the plant by the end of fiscal 2027.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Aug 18, 2025
A factory town in crisis shows Japan’s fading manufacturing era
Nissan directly employs almost 10% of Oppama’s 29,700 residents, but its factory is set to shut down by 2028.
The Maruti Suzuki India e-Vitara electric vehicle unveiled during the Bharat Mobility Global Expo in New Delhi in January
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 13, 2025
Suzuki’s India unit doubles down on SUVs as small cars slide
The nation’s top carmaker is scrambling to counter slowing demand for its bread-and-butter small cars.
An electric air taxi from Joby Aviation flies near the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in Manhattan, New York City, in November 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 8, 2025
Electric 'air taxis' could debut in Japan from 2027
All Nippon Airways says it is partnering with California-based Joby Aviation to deploy more than 100 of the five-seater aircraft.
Toyota Motor vehicles displayed for sale at one of the company's dealerships in Tokyo. The carmaker reported operating income of ¥1.17 trillion in the first quarter, down 11% from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 7, 2025
Toyota braces for ¥1.4 trillion dent in operating income under U.S. tariffs
The carmaker reported operating income of ¥1.17 trillion in the first quarter, down 11% from a year earlier, with a tariff impact of ¥450 billion.
A flying car produced by startup SkyDrive performs a demonstration flight for visitors at the World Exposition in the city of Osaka on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 1, 2025
SkyDrive demonstrates flying car at Osaka Expo
The Japanese startup will hold demonstration flights on a daily basis until Aug. 24.
Car dealerships in Tokyo. Some of Japan's automakers are raising loan rates amid higher costs for servicing loans.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 23, 2025
Japan carmakers put squeeze on households with higher loan rates
More than a year after the Bank of Japan’s first interest rate increase in 17 years, the volatile march higher in superlong bonds is raising the cost of servicing loans.
Exports measured by value dropped 0.5% in June from a year earlier, apparently reflecting the impact from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 17, 2025
Japan’s exports fall as U.S. tariffs stoke recession risks
Exports measured by value dropped 0.5% in June from a year earlier, led by cars and steel, the Finance Ministry reported.
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 10, 2025
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
The stricter measures come in response to a series of high-profile car accidents caused by foreign drivers.
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.
A Xiaomi SU7 sedan in Beijing. Regulators have been finalizing new safety rules for driver-assistance systems as Beijing sharpens scrutiny of the technology following an accident involving a Xiaomi SU7 sedan in March.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Jul 5, 2025
China urges caution — and speed — on assisted-driving technology
Driver-assistance systems are seen by industry analysts as the next big battleground in China's hypercompetitive car market.

Longform

"Shake hands with Lima-chan," a statue that shares the name of the Peruvian capital looks in the direction of Peru, where a sister statue, "Sakura-chan," is located. Erected in Yokohama's Rinko Park in 1999, it commemorates Peruvian-Japanese friendship.
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan