It seems that the Japanese success of the Prius fueled by government incentives, among other things, was a bit higher than Toyota had expected. The automaker reportedly sold 31,758 of the highly sought after vehicle in the month of September which, according to Autoblog, marks the 5th consecutive month that the Prius has been the top selling car in Japan.

That’s not the problem, however, as the real problem is that the success has been so great that if you were to order a 2010 Prius in Japan, the chances of you getting one before May 2010 are slim to none.

Let’s see how the 2010 Toyota Prius holds up in North America.

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The Tokyo Motor Show officially opens on October 24, hosting a wide roster of automakers to show off their latest vehicles set to be released in the market. And just when many people were looking forward to the event, Hyundai has begged off from the Tokyo Motor Show despite having paid a non-refundable reservation fee of $122,000.

There were no definitive reasons given for Hyundai’s pull out but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it has something to do with expenses. If Hyundai participated, they would have to address other costs that include outlays, staffing and other support materials for any new model they would be unveiling as well as the space rental for the duration of the event. as well as the space rental for the duration of the event.

With their pull-out, the Tokyo Motor Show looms like a showdown among Japan’s familiar car brands. Only two other foreign car companies remain for the event and these are Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen and Lotus. With 3 weeks to go, will they stay or will they go?

(Source) NY Times

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A vehicle-supply project between Nissan and Chrysler was shelved due to varied circumstances. Though it was not said directly, it seems that this had something to do with Chrysler’s tie-up with Fiat with regards to the supply of small vehicles for the global market.

The deal between Nissan and Chrysler started as early as the first quarter of 2008 which called for Nissan to supply small vehicle for the global market in 2010 and a compact sedan for the South American market at the beginning of this year to Chrysler. Nothing really materialized and was further compounded when the Chrysler-Fiat deal started in January of this year.

Also, one other factor is the current global situation. Both Nissan and Chrysler had halted production until they could come up with improved returns from operations. And as we know, Chrysler eventually filed for bankruptcy and later on announced a new alliance with Fiat which all but put the previous alliance of Nissan and Chrysler terminated.

Nissan was scheduled to have supplied Chrysler with an all-new, fuel-efficient small car made in Japan in exchange for a full-size pickup truck made by Chrysler in Mexico. Apparently all of these plans are a thing of the past as Chrysler is now tied up with Fiat for small vehicle distribution.

(Source) Reuters India

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It seems that the inevitable has happened – energy efficient vehicles are taking over the world. Japan in particular, due to high gas prices (around $4.50 a gallon) and tax breaks on hybrid vehicles, has proven itself to be the most prominent hybrid vehicle market in the world.

According to AutoBlogGreen, in June alone, Toyota sold 22,292 Prius’ while Honda sold 8,782 Insights, both hybrid vehicles. This apparantly ousts America’s number of 26,205 hybrids sold in the same amount of time.

And, just as a fun fact, there is apparantly a 7-month waiting list for Toyota’s upcoming 2010 Prius.

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Toyota has revealed a plan that will slowly disseminate the number of hybrids in the market, starting with the lease of 500 plug-in cars for the government and corporations while likewise stating that they will employ a mass production of the said vehicles by 2012. We are all aware that plug-ins are the better option when it comes to addressing transport and environmental problems and more importantly, this is the demand forecasted in the coming years.

To date, Toyota will aim to produce 20,000 to 30,000 unit by 2012, expecting the demand for these vehicles to balloon in the coming years. Toyota wants to price its plug-in hybrids at a comparable price to Mitsubishi Motors Corp’s all-electric car, which debuts this month to fleet customers in Japan at 4.59 million yen ($47,800) before government subsidies.

Toyota’s new Prius gasoline-electric hybrid costs less than half that, starting at 2.05 million yen in Japan. Toyota’s plug-ins will be able to run 20-30 km (12.4-18.6 miles) on battery power alone at full charge, the paper said.

(Source) Asia One

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With the tentative approval of its loan application for $16 million, Nissan Motors is inching closer to opening their plant that will be responsible in the manufacturing of all-electric cars over in Tucson and Phoenix. Once the said loan is finally approved, the plant will be serving all-electric cars which is certainly among the viable options that motorists are being advised to consider to date.

The Pima Association of Governments plans to lead the building of a local network of public charging stations. The project is due to start here in late 2010 with cars built in Japan and switch in 2012 to cars made at the Smyrna, Tenn., plant.

(Source) AZStartnet

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Impressed in its recent trip from Japan, European car maker Volkswagen is reportedly mulling a possible 10% stake in Suzuki. Apparently, the market penetration of the Japanese car manufacturer into India is what caught Volkswagen’s eye, something that they have not been successful at to date.

This should be good news for Suzuki considering that they needs all the help they can get financially although some terms of that area may possibly need further elaboration. But whatever happens, you can bet that this potential investment or partnership can be a good one for both of them.

In late May 2009, VW said that it was mulling cooperation with the Chinese company BYD to build hybrid or electric cars.

(Source) Steel Guru

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Toyota Special Edition Crown Hybrid

Most of us think of a ‘Special Edition’ vehicle being one that is furnished with extra features beyond the standard, however Toyota has decided to release an entry-level, bargain-priced domestic version of its Crown Hybrid model called the ‘Special Edition’ to help the company boost sales. When compared to the standard Crown Hybrid introduced in Japan in early 2008, the Special Edition version has done away with much of the comfort, convenience and even some safety features such as Toyota’s Pre-Crash Safety System, automatic wipers and leather upholstery, to name a few.

The result is a price reduction of about 10 percent, to 5.4 million Yen or approximately $56,100 US. This full-size, rear-wheel drive Crown Hybrid sedan is powered by a 292HP 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine and a 48HP electric motor producing a maximum combined output of 340HP. As submitted by Toyota, the Crown Hybrid achieves a fuel efficiency of 14.0 km/l (US equivalent of 32.9 mpg) according to the Japanese test cycle.

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Mitsubishi just released word yesterday that they have begun production of their all electric iMiEV and already, presumably to stirr up hype, the company has release pictures of an actual production model.

That’s not all as Mitsubishi has also clarified that commerical and government buyers will be able to get their hands on the iMiEV in July while actual retail customers won’t be able to get their hands on until next April.

The real bummer here, however, is that before tax breaks the little car pictures above will be priced at ¥4,380,000 or around $45,500. After a ¥1,390,000 tax break, however, AutoBlogGreen reports the car will be bumped down to a more reasonable $31,000. Still, is anyone besides the filthy rich willing to spend over $30,000 for the little car pictured above?

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Thanks to a tax incentive announced by the Japanese government on low-emission cars, Nissan received a large orders for its eco-friendly cars. Among the notable vehicles that may lead the uprising demand in Japan included the NV200 Nissan Vanette light commercial vehicle bringing the total to 15 on domestic cars that are eligible for tax breaks.

Japan had lowered taxes on green vehicles last month which is foreseen to put an additional 310,000 vehicles in sales in the financial year to March 2010. Nissan for its part took the initiative for the impending demand, improving their engines with a big marketing push.

Nissan’s Shiga acknowledged that the lack of a hybrid car was a concern it often heard from dealers, but stressed that its extensive offering of fuel-efficient gasoline-engine cars would help lower emissions on the whole at the automaker.

(Source) Asia One

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It seems that the car scrappage schemes are finally paying off. At least that is that it seems like for Mazda plants in Japan which have reportedly resumed operations after being suspended due to plummeting sales ever since the recession set in.

We are all aware that Europe had been in the forefront of this scheme which aims to entice motorists to trade in their old cars for discounts on new ones. Apparently a lot of them grabbed the deal to which rising demand is now occurring hence business as usual for car companies to satisfy the new demand.

This leaves a bright spot in the car industry. Apparently other cars are bound to follow the lead of Mazda of Japan but no one knows when that would be. This is the best news we have gotten from the auto industry to date!

(Source) RAC

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We’ve been hearing all sorts of hype surrounding the 2010 Prius for some time now but the day has finally come and you can actually purchase the car, if you live in Japan that is.

Despite the downed economy Toyota managed to net a full 80,000 pre-orders and hopes to sell 400,000 in 2010 alone.

If you recall, back in April Toyota announced that their 2010 Prius is capable of recieving up to 89.4 MPG. So, it’s no wonder the reception has been good thus far. Will the reception be as good in the States? Only time wil tell.

Read (Reuters)

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Toyota Motors continues its nosedive sales reports and is expecting worst thing to come. With dozens of factories unused, the global downturn is making life easier for the Japan-based car manufacturer, comparing profitable years with a large loss of $6.9 billion in the final quarter.

The world’s biggest automaker reported a January-March operating loss of 682.5 billion yen ($6.9 billion), versus a 396.7 billion yen profit a year earlier but in line with a consensus estimate for a loss of 689 billion yen in a survey of 21 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.

The global economic downturn that has battered demand for cars and pushed U.S. rival Chrysler [CBS.UL] into bankruptcy has hit Toyota badly as it went from rapid expansion to overcapacity almost overnight.

Toyota posted its first-ever consolidated operating loss last year after a record profit the year before.

(Source) Reuters

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The car industry suffers another big blow as long time auto glass manufacturer Asahi Glass Corporation has announce that they will be cutting operations by the end of 2009 due to declining demand for automotive glass.

According to the company, the capacity utilization of its automotive glass business has declined to about 50% due to the marked decreases in automotive glass demand in Japan.

Approximately 170 employees are engaged in the automotive glass business at the Kitakyushu plant.

These employees will primarily be transferred to other plants or made eligible for the voluntary early retirement system. Other businesses at the Kitakyushu plant will continue without change.

AGC expects to incur extraordinary losses of approximately JPY5 billion for the fiscal year ended December 2009 with the closure of the automotive glass business at Kitakyushu plant.

(Source) Automotive Business Review

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Two familiar names in the world of car audio entertainment are making the necessary provisions to keep operations feasible. Car audio and electronics suppliers Alpine Electronics and Clarion Co. plan to cut global expenses by a third due to a weak outlook for car sales.

In line with the report, Alpine released a statement on March 17 saying it will slash 2,500 jobs both in Japan and abroad, trimming its workforce to 11,500. The company also said employees including directors and management would take salary reductions, many of which will be 20 percent to 35 percent.

Overall, the company said it would trim its global corporate structure by 30 percent and it is working to “strengthen our organization to the point where we can be profitable even with 30 percent lower sales.”

(Source) Twice

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