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Toyota recalls nearly 1.7 million vehicles

TOKYO – Toyota is recalling nearly 1.7 million vehicles around the world for various defects that may cause fuel leakage — the latest in quality control woes for the Japanese automaker.
Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it was recalling a wide range of models, including the IS and GS Lexus luxury models in [...]

Read More » No commentJanuary 26, 2011

Nissan plant keeps Japan jobs, sends green message

YOKOSUKA, Japan – The Leaf electric car is rolling down the bustling assembly line at Nissan’s Oppama plant, taking the place of a gasoline engine compact whose production was moved abroad last year.
The Oppama plant in the Tokyo suburb of Yokosuka is a showcase for Nissan Motor Co.’s ambitions to be [...]

Read More » No commentJanuary 25, 2011

GM renames S. Korea unit, uses Chevrolet brand

SEOUL (AFP) – US giant General Motors said Thursday it would rename its South Korean unit and sell a new range of cars under the Chevrolet badge for the first time to boost its presence in the fast-growing market.
GM Daewoo Auto and Technology will be renamed GM Korea, and all existing and new products will [...]

Read More » No commentJanuary 20, 2011

Toyota to pay $32.4M in extra fines

WASHINGTON – Toyota Motor Corp. has agreed to pay the government a record $32.4 million in additional fines to settle an investigation into its handling of two recalls at the heart of its safety crisis.
The Transportation Department said late Monday the civil penalties will settle investigations into how Toyota dealt with recalls over accelerator pedals [...]

Read More » No commentDecember 22, 2010

BMW recalls 21,000 cars from China: state media

BEIJING (AFP) – German car giant BMW has begun a recall of more than 21,000 luxury sedans from China after detecting a brake fault, Chinese state media reported, citing the country’s quality watchdog.
Nearly 390 Rolls-Royce Phantom luxury cars and 30 Land Rover Discovery vehicles have also been recalled according Xinhua, quoting a statement made Friday [...]

Read More » 1 commentOctober 16, 2010

India car sales jump 33 percent in August

MUMBAI (AFP) – Car sales in India jumped 33.2 percent year on year last month, data from an industry body showed Thursday, as increasingly affluent consumers flocked to showrooms in Asia’s third-largest auto market.
Vehicle sales, including trucks and motorcycles — seen as a key indicator of a buoyant economy — have [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 9, 2010

Nissan team checks quality in Thai-made March cars

YOKOHAMA, Japan – Thai-made Nissan March subcompact cars — the first major model from a Japanese automaker being mass produced abroad for sale in Japan — are getting extra scrutiny from a team of quality experts to meet choosey consumer standards, a senior executive said Thursday.
The team of about 50 people [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 9, 2010

India’s Maruti mulls new factory to meet soaring demand

NEW DELHI (AFP) – Maruti Suzuki, India’s top car maker, said Thursday it might set up a third factory in the country as it races to meet burgeoning demand.
The company, majority-owned by Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp, has forecast India’s car market could more than double to five million units annually by [...]

Read More » No commentAugust 27, 2010

GM, China partner SAIC plan new engine development

SHANGHAI – General Motors Co. and Chinese partner SAIC announced Wednesday plans for joint development of fuel-efficient small engines and transmissions, focusing squarely on the fastest-growing part of China’s huge auto market.
The companies, which run several joint ventures including their flagship Shanghai GM, will develop a 1 liter to 1.5 [...]

Read More » No commentAugust 19, 2010

Ssangyong Motor names Mahindra as preferred bidder

SEOUL, South Korea – Cash-strapped South Korean automaker Ssangyong Motor selected India’s Mahindra & Mahindra on Thursday as the preferred bidder to buy a majority stake, a move that promises to give India’s top utility vehicle maker greater global reach.
Three companies — Mahindra, Raghav Industries and Daewoo Bus — submitted binding [...]

Read More » No commentAugust 13, 2010