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Toyota recalls 412,000 cars in US to fix steering

NEW YORK – Toyota is recalling nearly half a million cars, most of them large sedans sold in the U.S., for problems that can cause the steering wheel to lock up. It’s the latest indication that the automaker is still struggling with vehicle problems even as it works to overhaul quality [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 30, 2010

Ford bullish on Japan with new Asian investments

TOKYO – Ford hopes its investments in Asia will dramatically boost sales in Japan — a market so dominated by local makers like Toyota and Honda that the U.S. automaker has long struggled to maintain a toehold.
Tim Tucker, chief executive of Ford Motor Co.’s Japan operations, said Friday he was bullish about [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 24, 2010

Land wars bedevil India’s rush to industrialize

SANAND, India – It doesn’t look like he’s won much from industrialization. Take his face, weathered beyond his 30 years, or the earth stuck to his bare ungainly feet.
Jaisar Khan Pathan, one in a long line of farmers, is simply too scrawny.
But Pathan, and scores like him who live in the shadow of a new [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 13, 2010

China auto sales growth slows again in June

BEIJING – China’s auto sales growth weakened further in June as explosive demand driven by government incentives cooled, an industry group reported Friday.
Sales rose 19.4 percent from a year earlier to just over 1 million vehicles, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said. Growth has fallen steadily since March, when sales grew [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 13, 2010

Toyota president open to raising wages in China

NAGOYA, Japan – Toyota’s president says the company is open to raising the wages of workers in China, where strikes have disrupted the automaker’s operations in that fast-growing market.
Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda says raising wages brings benefits because it creates more customers who can buy Toyota vehicles. He says workers [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 13, 2010

Troubled Toyota recalls about 92,000 cars in Japan

TOKYO – Toyota started recalling more than 90,000 luxury Lexus and Crown vehicles Monday in Japan over defective engines — the latest setback for the automaker beset with quality problems.
Toyota Motor Corp. spokesman Paul Nolasco said recalls in overseas markets will follow soon, totaling about 270,000 vehicles globally. That includes: 138,000 [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 5, 2010

Toyota warns of Lexus engine defect in Crown model

TOKYO (AFP) – Toyota Motor warned on Thursday of an engine fault worldwide in eight models of its luxury Lexus and Crown sedans, potentially requiring a recall that could affect up to 270,000 units.
“The defective engines, whose valve springs are not working properly, may halt in the worst case scenario while [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 2, 2010

Toyota to recall faulty Lexus model: report

TOKYO (AFP) – Toyota Motor will recall one of its top-of-the-line Lexus sedans worldwide because of an engine fault, a report said Thursday.
Tens of thousands of Lexus LS460 models will likely be affected by the recall, the Nikkei business daily said without citing sources.
A Toyota spokesman declined to confirm the [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 1, 2010

Toyota recalls Lexus cars in Japan, US to follow

TOKYO – Toyota Motor Corp. began a recall Friday of 4,509 Lexus cars in Japan because of a computer problem affecting the model’s steering system, with a similar recall to follow in the U.S.
The carmaker said Wednesday it would recall the cars in Japan, with another 7,000 affected in [...]

Read More » No commentMay 21, 2010

Toyota teams up with Tesla to make electric cars

TOKYO (AFP) – Toyota Motor said Friday it is to acquire a 50 million dollar stake in Tesla Motors and will jointly develop electric vehicles with the Silicon Valley firm.
Toyota and Tesla Motors, based in Palo Alto, California, “intend to cooperate on the development of electric vehicles, parts, and production [...]

Read More » No commentMay 21, 2010