About 84 percent of major companies in Japan expect the country’s economy to grow in 2022, driven by recovering personal consumption amid hopes that the coronavirus pandemic will subside, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday. In the survey of 106 companies, including Toyota Motor Corp. and SoftBank Group Corp., 13 firms predicted the economy will…
Hitachi Ltd. will become the first Japanese company to build next-generation high-speed trains in Europe, announcing Thursday its involvement in a deal to build and maintain trains for the High Speed Two (HS2) railway project in Britain. A fifty-fifty joint venture between Hitachi Rail Ltd., the Japanese conglomerate’s subsidiary, and its French partner Alstom has…
Panasonic Corp. is aiming to introduce a security system it has developed for automakers to prevent cyberattacks amid the launch of more vehicles that offer various services via the internet. The new system will see a software installed in internet-connected cars to detect abnormalities and dedicated teams at Panasonic and the automakers will monitor the…
Japan’s car exports continued to plunge in October, seeing a 36.7 percent fall from a year earlier amid parts and semiconductor shortage that led domestic automakers to reduce production, government data showed Wednesday. Although the pace of decline slowed from a 40.3 percent fall in the previous month, it was the second straight monthly fall…
The world’s first operational dual-mode vehicle, essentially a bus capable of running on roads and railway tracks, is set to enter service next month in the Shikoku region, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands. Asa Seaside Railway Corp. in Tokushima Prefecture said it will roll out the DMV on Dec. 25, having cleared safety…
Subaru Corp. unveiled Thursday its first all-electric vehicle to be sold globally, with it set to be launched in Japan, the United States, Europe, and China by mid-2022. Named the “Solterra”, the sport utility vehicle was jointly developed with Toyota Motor Corp. as Subaru looks to make a smooth transition from internal combustion and hybrid…
This Feb. 13, 2020 file photo shows logos of Nissan Motor Co. at the carmaker’s global headquarters in Yokohama. (Mainichi) TOKYO (Kyodo) — Nissan Motor Co. on Tuesday reported 168.65 billion yen ($1.5 billion) in net profit, swinging into the black for the first time in two years on a first-half basis, despite fewer vehicle…
The shortage in computer chips needed to make the Nintendo Switch machine is a serious problem unlikely to be resolved soon, the president of the Japanese video game maker said Friday. “The extremely tight situation remains, and the future is uncertain,” Shuntaro Furukawa told reporters. Furukawa said the dearth of computer chips, which is affecting…
A man walks by the logo on a Toyota car at a showroom in Tokyo on Oct. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) TOKYO (AP) — Toyota said Monday it is testing hydrogen combustion engines in race cars as it works toward using the technology in commercial products. Such engines burn hydrogen as fuel instead of…
New car sales of Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. in China plunged in September, the manufacturer said Monday, highlighting that its business in the country has become sluggish against a backdrop of semiconductor shortages. Sales in China for Toyota, Japan’s largest automaker, fell 35.9 percent from a year earlier to 115,000 units last month, after decreasing…
