BEIJING (Kyodo) — China’s market regulator on Friday fined Toyota Motor, Japan’s largest automaker, 500,000 yuan ($77,313) for violating anti-monopoly laws. Toyota failed to report to the authorities in advance when in 2019, it set up a joint venture with Didi Chuxing, a major Chinese ride-hailing service, the regulator said. The latest move came as Chinese… Continue reading Toyota fined by China’s regulator for violating anti-monopoly laws
Author: Nikki News Feed
Suzuki and Honda shut production in India to free up oxygen
MUMBAI — Surging COVID-19 infections have forced Suzuki, Honda and Toyota to temporarily idle production in India as the government urges manufacturers to redirect industrial-use oxygen for medical use. Maruti Suzuki will shut down two auto plants in Manesar and Gurugram from Saturday through May 9 to free up oxygen used for manufacturing. The plants will… Continue reading Suzuki and Honda shut production in India to free up oxygen
Mitsubishi cuts output by another 16,000 vehicles on chip crunch
TOKYO — Mitsubishi Motors will slash output by 16,000 units worldwide in May, the Japanese automaker said Friday, after a factory fire at key supplier Renesas Electronics squeezed the already tight global supply of automotive semiconductors. Mitsubishi will eliminate 11 shifts next month, mainly night hours, at its Mizushima plant in Japan, which produces kei minicars and the RVR sport utility vehicle. The… Continue reading Mitsubishi cuts output by another 16,000 vehicles on chip crunch
Renesas aided by 14,000 outside workers to restore fire-hit plant
TOKYO — According to cellphone location data analyzed by Nikkei, 14,000 people from among the Japanese company’s business partners and other organizations participated in the recovery of Renesas Electronics, which resumed semiconductor production on April 17 at its Naka plant in Ibaraki Prefecture. The plant had been partially shut down because of a fire. Nearly… Continue reading Renesas aided by 14,000 outside workers to restore fire-hit plant
Huawei unveils HarmonyOS-based EV developed with BAIC
SHANGHAI — Huawei Technologies launched five automated-driving solutions Sunday, including one that runs on its HarmonyOS operating system. The products, which will be mass-produced in cars to be co-developed with automakers later this year, is part of the telecommunications hardware company’s $1 billion investment in self-driving and electric-vehicle research in 2021 to capture the rising demand… Continue reading Huawei unveils HarmonyOS-based EV developed with BAIC
Nissan’s UK plant furloughs 800 workers amid chip shortage
TOKYO — Nissan Motor has furloughed about 800 workers, or 10% of the employees at its U.K. assembly plant, as a semiconductor shortage squeezes production. The layoffs will continue until supplies of components return to normal levels. U.S. carmaker General Motors has also laid off workers, but Nissan is the first Japanese automaker to make… Continue reading Nissan’s UK plant furloughs 800 workers amid chip shortage
Japan’s Sagawa to buy 7,200 low-priced EVs made in China
TOKYO — Sagawa Express, a subsidiary of Japan’s SG Holdings, has decided to purchase 7,200 low-priced electric minivans which will be made in China, Nikkei has learned. Sagawa, a major transport company, will use those EVs to deliver goods mostly over short distances. China’s Guangxi Automobile Group will manufacture small electric commercial vans designed by a Japanese… Continue reading Japan’s Sagawa to buy 7,200 low-priced EVs made in China
Shift to electric cars speeds restructuring of parts industry
TOKYO — The rapid advance of motor vehicle electrification is spurring parts makers to transform their own operations. Nachi-Fujikoshi, a big Japanese manufacturer of automotive bearings, will move production of general-purpose bearings from Toyama, Japan, and Taiwan to Thailand in response to falling demand for conventional automotive parts. Nachi-Fujikoshi will build a new 10 billion… Continue reading Shift to electric cars speeds restructuring of parts industry
Former Nissan EV developer to launch plastic battery this year
TOKYO — A Japanese startup hopes to start commercial production this year of a lithium ion battery made entirely of plastic, hoping to make the power cells safer and ultimately give a springboard to their wider adoption in electric vehicles. APB’s initial target is the vast market for giant batteries to store energy from wind… Continue reading Former Nissan EV developer to launch plastic battery this year
Renesas to make auto chips at alternative plant
TOKYO — Renesas Electronics is using a factory in Japan’s western Ehime Prefecture to make automotive semiconductors after a fire at another of its plants, in Ibaraki Prefecture north of Tokyo, halted production there. Renesas’ Saijo factory in Ehime has 200 mm wafer fabrication lines and mainly makes chips for cars. The company has not… Continue reading Renesas to make auto chips at alternative plant