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Auto

India’s Maruti looks to rebuild as strike ends

The latest in a series of strikes at India’s top car maker Maruti Suzuki came to an end on Friday, at a cost of $400 million in lost production and major damage to the group’s reputation.
Maruti, which is majority-owned by Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp, said the 13-day strike at its Manesar plant was called off [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 22, 2011

‘Limited’ production starts at Maruti strike plant

India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, resumed “limited” production Monday at a plant hit by a bitter labour dispute that has cost the Japanese-controlled firm hundreds of millions of dollars.
Striking workers, protesting Maruti’s refusal to recognise their union and the growing use of contract workers, ended an eight-day occupation of the plant in north India on Friday night, in [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 17, 2011

Japan Auto Output Rises Above Pre-Quake Level

TOKYO—Japan’s auto production rose in August from a year earlier, eclipsing the pre-quake level of a year earlier for the first time since the March disasters, as car makers closed in on a complete restoration of their once-crippled parts supply chains.
Auto production grew from the previous year for the first time in 11 months in [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 2, 2011

Hyundai India to Open Eon Bookings Saturday

NEW DELHI – The India unit of Hyundai Motor Co. will start taking customer orders Saturday for its Eon small car, seeking to challenge market leader Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.’s Alto model.
The Eon will be produced at Hyundai Motor India Ltd.’s factory near the port city of Chennai, the company said, without giving any date [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 2, 2011

Nano car bursts into flames in India

India’s Tata Motors launched an inquiry on Monday after another of its Nano hatchbacks — billed as the world’s cheapest car — caught fire in unexplained circumstances.
The Nano, hailed in 2008 as a car that would revolutionise transport in India, has suffered disappointing sales due to safety concerns, production glitches and slowing economic growth.
“A Nano [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 27, 2011

Ford May Make Electric Cars in China: Mulally

Ford Motor Co. (F) may make electric cars with its partner in China as the auto industry moves toward producing more fuel-efficient vehicles, Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally said.
“Our plan is to make the vehicles people want and value, in China and around the world,” Mulally, 66, said in a Bloomberg Television interview on Sept. [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 26, 2011

Nissan quarterly profit jumps 78 percent

TOKYO – Nissan reported a 78 percent jump in quarterly profit and raised its full-year forecasts Wednesday as vehicle sales grew in North America, Europe and Asia, offsetting a weak performance in Japan.
Nissan’s October-December net profit totaled 80.07 billion yen ($976.4 million), up from 44.97 billion yen a year earlier. Sales for its fiscal third [...]

Read More » No commentFebruary 9, 2011

GM says January sales in China hit monthly high

SHANGHAI – General Motors Co. says its vehicle sales in China, the world’s largest auto market, hit a monthly record high of 268,071 in January, though year-on-year growth was sharply lower.
GM said Wednesday that its sales in China in January rose 22.3 percent from a year earlier, a much smaller increase than the 97 percent [...]

Read More » No commentFebruary 9, 2011

Toyota shares gain as US report clears electronics

TOKYO – Toyota shares jumped more than 5 percent to a nine-month high in Tokyo on Wednesday, following a U.S. government report that ruled out electronic flaws in runaway Toyota vehicles.
The world’s biggest automaker welcomed the findings as confirming the reliability of its cars.
Toyota Motor Corp. stock finished at 3,670 yen ($45) on the Tokyo [...]

Read More » No commentFebruary 9, 2011

Mazda Motor tumbles to quarterly loss

TOKYO – Mazda Motor Corp. sank into the red in the October-December quarter, unable to overcome a stronger yen and lackluster sales in Japan.
The Japanese automaker said Thursday it booked a quarterly net loss of 2.67 billion yen ($32.7 million). It had net profit of 4.42 billion yen a year earlier.
Revenue inched up 0.5 percent [...]

Read More » No commentFebruary 3, 2011