WIRE REPORTS

Chang'an Auto shelves restructure plan China Daily The Chongqing based automaker had earlier this year raised a plan to transfer one of the two passenger car production certificates from Changhe-Suzuki to its new joint venture with Mazda Motor Corp. The idea triggered intense conflict between Changhe ... and more » Japan Inc. Suppliers Cut Jobs as Yen Batters TV, Chip Profit BusinessWeek Auto windshield maker Nippon Sheet Glass Co., which sells to Mazda Motor Corp., said it will cut 3500 jobs. They join NEC Corp., a Japanese maker of telecom equipment and components, which said last month it would eliminate 10000 positions. and more » Mainichi Daily News Mazda expects to fall deeper into red with 100 bil. yen FY 2011 loss Mainichi Daily News Takashi Yamanouchi, president of Mazda Motor Corp., poses for a photo with Mazda's concept Car "Takeri" during the press preview of the Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Mazda Motor Corp. on ... and more » Bloomberg Japan Inc. Suppliers Bleed Jobs as Yen Batters TV, Chip Profits Bloomberg (5202), which sells to Mazda Motor Corp. (7261), said it will cut 3500 jobs. They join NEC Corp. (6701), a Japanese maker of telecom equipment and components, which said last month it would eliminate 10000 positions. The yen's 7 percent surge against ... and more » Market cues: Asian shares weak, disinvestment delay and more NDTV Asian shares fell on Friday after Japanese companies like Mazda Motor Corp and Nippon Sheet Glass increased loss forecasts due to the impact of Europe's debt crisis on global sales. The regional MSCI Asia Pacific index saw three shares shedding value ... and more » Mazda Considering Capital Increase After Mounting Losses BusinessWeek 3 (Bloomberg) -- Mazda Motor Corp., the most unprofitable company among Japan's eight biggest carmakers, said it's considering ways to boost capital as four years of losses erode equity, threatening its credit rating. Repairing Mazda's capital ?is a ... and more » Japan Futures Little Changed as Investors Await US Jobs Report BusinessWeek Mazda Motor Corp. may fall after the carmaker widened its forecast for a loss. Softbank Corp., Japan's No. 3 wireless carrier, may be active after saying nine-month profit jumped 76 percent. Lynas Corp. fell 3.5 percent in Sydney after Goldman Sachs ... and more » Canon, Korea Life, Sony, Singapore Air: Asian Stocks Preview BusinessWeek Mazda Motor Corp. (7261 JT): The automaker widened its full-year loss forecast to 100 billion yen from 19 billion yen, citing slumping sales in Europe and reversal of deferred tax assets. The stock rose 1.6 percent to 130 yen. Mitsubishi Materials Corp ... and more » Mazda Says It's Considering Capital Increase After Losses Mount Bloomberg Mazda Motor Corp. (7261), the most unprofitable company among Japan's eight biggest carmakers, said it's considering boosting capital as four years of losses erode equity, threatening its credit rating. Repairing Mazda's capital ?is a must,? President ... and more » Canon, Korea Life, ONGC, Sony, Singapore Air: Asian Stocks Preview Bloomberg Mazda Motor Corp. (7261) (7261 JT): The automaker widened its full-year loss forecast to 100 billion yen from 19 billion yen, citing slumping sales in Europe and reversal of deferred tax assets. The stock rose 1.6 percent to 130 yen. and more »

DAILY REPORTS

Feb 3 Japan Inc. suppliers cut jobs as yen batters tv, chip profit Japan Inc. is suffering and the supply chain is bearing the cost. Sumco Corp., a supplier to Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp., said yesterday it will cut 1,300 jobs. Auto windshield maker Nippon Sheet Glass Co., which sells to Mazda Motor Corp., said it will cut 3,500 jobs. They join NEC Corp., a Japanese maker of telecom equipment and components, which said last month it would eliminate 10,000 positions. The yen's 7 percent surge against the dollar in the past 12 months has widened losses at Panasonic Corp. Sony, Mazda and Sharp Corp., which plans to halve TV production at its biggest factory to reduce inventory. Manufacturers have been forced to both relocate production outside of Japan and to press their suppliers for cost cuts. (BusinessWeek) Dec 14 How Long Can Japan's Niche Brands Survive? Isuzu clung to the U.S. market two to three years after the automotive press began predicting its departure. Although Isuzu relied on sport/utilities for most of the 2000s, and that segment took a big plunge just before the brand left North America in '09, it didn't exactly light the SUV world on fire even when the segment was popular. The new automotive world order calls into question the continued viability of Japan's small, niche companies. Bigger companies have shed interest in smaller automakers, or have ended joint venture deals. The Japanese industry is not the juggernaut it was 10 or 20 years ago, and it's reasonable to question whether the country can support more than three brands, as in other mature markets. Subaru, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Suzuki are planning ever-smaller models. Compacts, or C-segment cars, have thinner profit margins generally than C/D- and D-segment midsize cars, and B-segment subcompacts have thinner margins still. (motortrend.com) Nov 30 Highlights of the Tokyo Motor Show 2011 It's been a tough year for Japanese automakers. The March earthquake and tsunami crippled production of cars and parts for months. And the soaring value of the yen is taking a bite out of profits on exports. But Japan's automakers were determined to not let those factors overshadow its biennial auto show. Honda rolls out an electric roadster and maps out its powertrain plans for the future, Toyota and Subaru show their new sports coupes, Nissan gives the Juke a Nismo makeover, Mazda previews its next-generation sedan and Volkswagen launches a new design theme for its SUVs. (AutoWeek) Nov 17 Japanese automakers face new challenges, Mazda CEO says Japanese automakers, not fully recovered from supply shortages in the wake of the spring's massive earthquake and tsunami, still have a "rough road ahead" of them, said Takashi Yamanouchi, president and chief executive of Mazda Motor Corp. The strength of the yen against the U.S. dollar and the euro, as well as current flooding in Thailand, are the latest difficulties facing Japan's ailing auto industry, he said. Yamanouchi opened the L.A. Auto Show on Wednesday with stories recalling the solidarity among Japanese, Americans and Europeans after the magnitude 8.9 quake rattled Japan in March. (Los Angeles Times) Oct 27 Mazda sets debut date for Takeri concept Mazda has announced the forthcoming debut of a new concept which hints at the styling of the next Mazda 6 range. The Mazda Takeri concept car will debut at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January, Mazda said, using the new Skyactiv environmental technology and Mazda's 'Kodo' design language. (New York Daily News) Oct 11 Nikkei 225 gains the most in two weeks on Europe pledge Japanese stocks gained for a third day, with the Nikkei 225 Stock Average rising the most in two weeks, after German and French leaders pledged to support European banks and stem the region's debt crisis. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc., Japan's second- largest publicly traded lender, climbed 2.7 percent as stocks resumed trading in Tokyo after a three-day weekend. Mazda Motor Corp., an exporter to Europe whose stock has lost 28 percent over the past three months, jumped 6.1 percent. Inpex Corp., Japan's leading oil explorer by market value, gained 3.6 percent after crude prices advanced. (BusinessWeek) Oct 7 Mazda to stop making rotary-engine vehicles Mazda will stop making cars with its signature rotary engines after a 45-year production run that included powering the first and only Japanese car to win the 24-hour Le Mans endurance race. Poor sales and the high costs of meeting modern emissions standards have made rotary engines uneconomical to produce. Mazda Motor Corp. said Friday that the latest edition of the Mazda RX-8 will go on sale Nov. 24, targeting sales of 1,000 vehicles, but will end production in June 2012. The Japanese automaker, based in Hiroshima, introduced its first rotary engine car in 1967 and is the only automaker in the world that makes rotary engine vehicles. Such engines have fewer moving parts and are quieter than comparable piston engines but are more expensive to manufacture and consume more fuel. (Reuters) Aug 25 Mazda halts production of rotary engine sports car Mazda Motor Corp. has canceled production of its RX-8 rotary engine sports car, citing falling sales and stringent global emissions standards. Production in Hiroshima, Japan, ended in early July and global sales of the car will conclude later this year. The RX-8 and the three generations of the RX-7 that preceded it have long been the foundation the brand's fun-to-drive aura. The car's high-revving 1.3-liter, twin-rotor rotary engine produces 232 hp at 8,500 rpm -- a big punch in a relatively small package. But Mazda sold just 1,134 RX-8s last year, a 49 percent decline from 2009. Sales through July of 2011 were down another 21 percent. (CNET) Jun 30 Mazda sees growth with lean gas engines, not EVs Mazda's president believes gasoline engines will still power 80 to 90 percent of the world's autos even in 20 years time, and remains confident the carmaker can grow without electric vehicles. The comments Thursday from Mazda Motor Corp. President Takashi Yamanouchi contrast with the strategy at Japanese rival Nissan Motor Co., which is banking heavily on its Leaf electric car, one of the first mass-produced EVs on the market. Yamanouchi said Mazda's efficient gas engine called "Skyactiv" will be a pillar of its growth strategy as the Hiroshima-based manufacturer seeks to boost sales in emerging markets, where electric vehicles and hybrids aren't expected to be as popular as in developed nations. (AP) Jun 3 Mazda to stop making cars in US Mazda Motor Corp. plans to leave its joint venture with Ford Motor Co. and stop building cars in the U.S., the Nikkei financial daily reported Friday. Mazda and Ford operate the AutoAlliance International plant in Michigan as a 50-50 partnership. Citing unnamed company sources, the Nikkei said Mazda is considering selling its stake to Ford as the Japanese automaker tries to restructure its global production. Mazda cars sold in the U.S. will be shipped from Japan and Mexico starting around 2013, according to the Nikkei. (AFP) [ More... ]