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David Welch
Makoto Uchida (left), chief executive officer of Nissan Motor, and Toshihiro Mibe, chief executive officer of Honda Motor, attend a joint news conference in Tokyo in August.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 18, 2024
Nissan and Honda consider merger to take on world's biggest carmaker
Such a deal would create an automotive rival to Toyota and would effectively consolidate the Japanese auto industry into two camps.
Many of today’s cars — both gas and electric — are equipped with devices connecting them to the internet or cloud services, making them potential targets for hacking.
BUSINESS
Sep 22, 2024
Biden administration to prepare ban on Chinese car software
The U.S. Commerce Department has been meeting with industry experts as it looks to address security concerns raised by a new generation of so-called smart cars.
GMC Hummer electric vehicles on the production line at General Motors' Factory ZERO all-electric vehicle assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan, on Nov. 17.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 30, 2023
GM commits billions to shareholder returns as EV push stalls
"We have confidence in the cash generation of this company”
 Tesla Model 3 vehicles at the company's factory in Shanghai in January 2020
BUSINESS
Nov 5, 2023
Cooling EV sales have Tesla, GM and Ford rethinking investments
While the battery-powered vehicle market is still expanding, the pace of growth has slowed considerably.
United Auto Workers members strike at a General Motors assembly plant in Arlington, Texas, on Oct. 24.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 29, 2023
General Motors hit with more strikes while Stellantis reaches deal with UAW
More than six weeks after the historic strikes began, GM is now the only one of the companies that doesn’t have a deal with the union.
Striking UAW autoworkers demonstrate at a rally in downtown Detroit on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Sep 18, 2023
How auto executives misread the UAW and ignited a historic strike
UAW president Shawn Fain’s aggressiveness reflects the mood of the American worker: anxious about job security and angry about a ballooning wealth gap.
An autonomous truck in Stack AV’s test fleet
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 8, 2023
SoftBank backs autonomous trucking firm started by ex-Ford execs
The new firm, named Stack AV, is led by three executives who previously ran Argo AI, the self-driving operation that Ford and VW shut down last year.
A Cruise autonomous taxi in San Francisco on Aug. 10. Cruise is one of only two firms in California allowed to run paid robotaxi services around the clock.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 25, 2023
Robotaxis are making enemies as they go around San Francisco
Mishaps are adding to traffic and safety concerns over driverless vehicles, which zip around the city’s streets surrounded by sensors and cameras.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 6, 2022
GM and Honda announce tie-up to develop affordable electric vehicles
The move will dramatically deepen an existing partnership that already spans gas-powered models, batteries and self-driving technology.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 10, 2022
Canada protest starts to bite as Ford is forced to close engine plant
The blockade of the Ambassador Bridge between the U.S. and Canada by protesters angry over COVID-19 restrictions is in its third day, with no end in sight.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 5, 2022
Toyota surpasses GM to take U.S. sales crown for first time
To retake its leadership position, GM will have to return to something closer to the 2.5 million vehicles the company delivered in 2020.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 20, 2021
COVID-19 once spared the young. Now more are being hospitalized.
The new variants of the virus are more contagious and appear to hit young people harder than the original strain that emerged more than a year ago.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2020
Honda and GM seek North America alliance to share car platforms
Honda Motor Co. and General Motors Co. are laying the groundwork for a deeper partnership in North America to jointly develop gasoline engines and crossover SUVs, seeking to cut costs as the auto industry moves toward electric vehicles.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Sep 28, 2018
SEC probe raises once unthinkable prospect of a Tesla without Elon Musk
It is nearly impossible to imagine Tesla Inc. without Elon Musk — its chairman, CEO, largest shareholder and public face.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 22, 2017
Lexus slides in quality rankings as Kia and Hyundai grab top spots
Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus line has slipped below the industry average in a closely watched study of new-car quality, while South Korean automakers that only recently supplanted Japanese and German brands gained more momentum.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2016
Takata lifelines scrutinized by carmakers stuck in cost bind
Takata Corp. and some of the world's biggest carmakers face an extensive, expensive to-do list as they try to resolve the worst safety crisis in the auto industry's history.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2016
Bain, PAG Asia get in line for potential Takata purchase
Bain Capital and PAG Asia Capital are evaluating bids for Takata Corp., joining KKR & Co. among private equity firms with an interest in the Japanese air bag supplier behind a record safety recall, according to people familiar with the matter. Takata's shares surged.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2015
New York motor show stealing Detroit's thunder
Detroit may be where cars are made, but New York is becoming the town to show them off.

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?