WIRE REPORTS

Globe and Mail Obama's BlackBerry no fun anymore: No 'juicy stuff' Globe and Mail Japan's Nissan Motor Co. swung to a quarterly profit of ¥106.6-billion or $1.2-billion (US) as sales soared more than 35 per cent. ... and more » California Clears Hurdle for Electric-Car Charging Stations to Sell Power Bloomberg General Motors Co., Nissan Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and other automakers have said California will be among the first markets for their lithium-ion ... Nissan Reports 1Q Results Toronto Star Nissan Motor Co. NSANY reported much-improved first-quarter fiscal 2010 results Thursday that give us no reason to change our ... and more » msnbc.com Mexico's violence largely spares foreign firms msnbc.com The violence is "absolutely not an obstacle to the development of our business," Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor Co, said during a recent visit to Mexico ... and more » Edmunds: Strong Retail Demand To Drive July US New-Vehicle Sales Capital.gr (press release) Nissan Motor Co. (NSANY, 7201.TO) is projected to report the largest jump in sales, 22%, while single-digit growth is seen for General Motors Co., ... and more » CommScope, Nissan Motor, Sanofi-Aventis, Genzyme, Visa, Vistaprint Popular Stocks PR-Services (press release) Nissan Motor Co. (PINK:NSANY, $15.82, +$1.10, 7.47%), Japan's third- largest automaker, swung back to profit in the fiscal first quarter as auto demand ... PRECIOUS METALS: Comex Gold Bounces Slightly; Outflows Weigh Wall Street Journal Nissan Motor Co. (7201.TO) said strong sales worldwide propelled it to its highest quarterly net profit in over two years. Volkswagen AG (VOW. ... and more » Globe and Mail Federal Reserve official warns US at risk of 'Japanese-style' deflation Globe and Mail Japan's Nissan Motor Co. swung to a quarterly profit of ¥106.6-billion or $1.2-billion (US) as sales soared more than 35 per cent. ... and more » Eco-car market shifts into high gear The Daily Yomiuri Nissan Motor Co. on Wednesday unveiled a prototype of the hybrid Fuga, which the company plans to launch this autumn as it tries to catch up with Toyota ... and more » US HOT STOCKS: Colgate-Palmolive, VistaPrint, Nvidia, CommScope Wall Street Journal Nissan Motor Co. (NSANY, $15.85, +$1.13, +7.68%) said Thursday that strong sales worldwide propelled it to its highest quarterly net profit in over two ... and more »

DAILY REPORTS

Jul 17 Toyota, Nissan want bigger slice of the pie in Latin America Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. will invest a combined $1.2 billion to expand production in Latin America amid growing regional and export demand. Toyota is spending $600 million on a new car plant in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, the company said in a statement, and Nissan is spending the same amount to expand Mexican production to build three new models, Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn said Thursday in Mexico City. (Japan Times) Jul 16 Japan's obscure executive rich list In a country where big corporations have only just been ordered to disclose exactly how much their million-dollar earners make, the relatively high pay of Carlos Ghosn and Howard Stringer, the non-Japanese, high-profile heads of Nissan Motor Co. and Sony Corp., caused no little brouhaha. Less well-known: some of their Japanese peers were nipping at their heels in terms of pay. What's more, they don't work for household name auto or tech giants like Messrs. Ghosn and Stringer. Nor do they even pull the strings on some of the world's biggest savings deposits at Japan's mega-banks. Instead, they head up mid-cap manufacturers little known outside their home country. (AFP) Jul 13 Nissan hit by Hitachi parts delay Nissan Motor Co. will suspend production for three days starting Wednesday at four domestic plants due to delayed delivery of engine-related parts from Hitachi Ltd., company officials said. The delayed delivery of engine control units will affect production of about 15,000 vehicles at Nissan's plants in Tochigi, Kanagawa and Fukuoka prefectures as well as a plant in Fukuoka Prefecture operated by Nissan Shatai Kyushu Co., the officials said. (Japan Times) Jun 30 Japan's big four car makers issue over 100,000 recalls Car makers Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors will recall more than 100,000 vehicles in Japan due to defective air bags and seat belts, the transport ministry said Wednesday. The recalls trace back to a single supplier, Tokyo-based parts maker Takata, local media reported. The company also supplies Audi, Daimler, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors. Toyota Motor will recall 50,738 vehicles, Honda 24,522, and Nissan 35,964 built in 2000-2001 due to problems with the airbag inflator in the passenger seat that causes shards to fly out when the airbag opens, the ministry said. (AFP) Jun 30 Japan taps foreign managers A wave of strikes in China has prompted Japanese companies operating abroad to finally tap local management, decades after Western peers embraced the strategy of cultivating home-grown expertise. Japan is a late bloomer when it comes to adapting businesses to changing global standards, but recent strikes in China against the country's two largest automakers have been a wake-up call to speed up the process, say experts. Japanese companies have traditionally been reluctant to cede management to foreigners, with the hiring of Howard Stringer at the helm of Sony and Carlos Ghosn at Nissan initially greeted with scepticism. (Straits Times) Jun 23 Japan finding out who gets big pay under new rule Japan is finally finding out who is getting the big paychecks, thanks to a new rule requiring disclosure of pay for executives receiving 100 million yen ($1 million) or more. But the list of millionaire bosses is surprisingly short and many of them it turns out are foreigners - like Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn, who raised the ire of a few shareholders when he announced Wednesday his whopping compensation of $9.5 million for the fiscal year ended March. The disclosures mark a dramatic shift for Japan's corporate culture, which has previously not fostered professional management based on risk-taking by a decisive executive with the hefty paycheck to back it, analysts say. (AP) Jun 18 Japanese not worried about Stringer's pay After Sony Corp. disclosed its CEO Howard Stringer earned about 410 million yen ($4.5 million) and received stock options for 500,000 shares in the last fiscal year, Japan Real Time hit the streets to see what ordinary people think of his salary. Are they outraged? Angry? Demanding Sony apologizes? Nope, on all three counts. "It's okay," Kazuhisa Hayashida, an accountant in his 30s, said. "It's just for a small number of people. It's nice of him to come to Japan for that money. I hope Japanese executives would come to make as much money [in the future], not just [Nissan CEO Carlos] Ghosn and Stringer." (Wall Street Journal) May 26 Nissan CEO Ghosn defends his plan for growth in electric cars Nissan Motor Co.'s Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn defended his plan to sell 500,000 electric cars a year by 2012, saying skepticism from analysts and competitors won't deter him. Ghosn, 56, also CEO of Renault SA, is trying to sell more electric cars through both companies than rivals are planning. General Motors Co. aims to build 45,000 of its Volt electric car, which also uses gasoline, annually by 2012. California-based startup Tesla Motors Inc. has said it will sell about 20,000 of its Model S sedan starting next year. (BusinessWeek) Apr 26 Japanese carmakers increase output Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. increased global auto production in March as demand rose in Asia and the U.S. Toyota's output surged 97 percent to 773,297 vehicles from 392,882 a year earlier, the company said Monday. Honda increased production 62 percent to 349,425 vehicles and Nissan boosted output 85 percent to 318,827, the companies said separately. (Japan Times) Apr 24 Tesla to sell electric sports car in Japan Tesla Motors Inc., a U.S. automaker specializing in electric vehicles, will launch its high-end Roadster electric sports car in Japan in early May. This is the first time a foreign automaker will release an electric vehicle in the Japanese market. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. began domestic sales of its i-MiEV electric vehicle last July, while Nissan Motor Co. will launch an electric vehicle in December. The move by the Silicon Valley-based automaker likely will intensify competition in Japan's electric vehicle market. (Yomiuri) Apr 21 Nissan to restart plants halted by ash Nissan Motor Co. will resume production Thursday at two plants halted after the air transport disruption caused by volcanic ash from Iceland blocked imports of some auto parts, company officials said. Although the parts - air pressure sensors for vehicle tires - have not yet been delivered from Ireland, the automaker decided to use those in stock for after-purchase servicing purposes, the officials said. (Japan Times) Apr 9 An automotive marriage of convenience Once burned, twice shy. It's a phrase one often hears after a painful divorce. Unless, of course, you're talking about Daimler AG, whose nearly decade-long marriage to Chrysler ended bitterly, three years ago. Now, the German company is back at the altar, ready to try again. Daimler, it seems, has lined up a new paramour - two, in fact: French-based Renault and the Japanese carmaker Nissan. Together, they're forming a motoring menage a trois that some observers see as the way of the future for the auto industry. Others wonder if history will repeat itself for Daimler. (MSNBC) Apr 5 Nissan, Renault near Daimler deal Nissan Motor Co. and French partner Renault SA are drawing close to a capital tieup agreement with Germany's Daimler AG that may be concluded by the end of this week, sources said Monday. "The talks could move during the week," a senior Nissan official said. (Japan Times) Apr 4 E-tags eyed for car transport Three major domestic automakers and a leading shipping company will jointly develop a system to more efficiently transport cars by using electronic tags, it has been learned. Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co., Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and NYK Line aim to cut costs by reducing inventory and streamlining logistical facilities with the introduction of electronic tags. (Yomiuri) Apr 2 Ghosn: Nissan-Renault open to new alliesGhosn: Nissan-Renault open to new allies The Nissan-Renault SA alliance is willing to forge cross-shareholding agreements with other companies to gain an edge in developing vehicles and probing new markets, Carlos Ghosn, president of Nissan Motor Co., said. In an interview with The Asahi Shimbun on Wednesday, Ghosn also expressed his intention to continue serving four more years as Nissan president, a position he will have held for a decade this June. (Asahi) Apr 1 Early price war for electric cars Seeking an early foothold in a new market, two Japanese automakers slashed prices of their electric vehicles, which will cost buyers less than 3 million yen ($32,000) if government incentives are applied. Nissan Motor Co. on Tuesday unveiled the Leaf, its new electric compact car that is slated to hit the market in December, with a minimum price tag of 3.76 million yen. (Asahi) Mar 31 Mitsubishi cuts price tag on electric car as EV price war with Nissan looms Mitsubishi Motors Corp. announced Tuesday that it has slashed the price of its i-MiEV electric car to below 3 million yen in a bid to compete against rival Nissan Motor Co. The automaker has decided to cut the price of its i-MiEV rechargeable compact by 370,000 yen to 2.84 million yen ahead of its scheduled general release in April -- about 150,000 yen cheaper than Nissan Motor Co.'s Leaf electric car. Nissan announced earlier the same day that it will start selling its new Leaf electric vehicle (EV) with a price tag of 2.99 million yen in December this year. (Mainichi) Mar 30 Nissan's electric car to sell for 3.76 mil. yen Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday it will begin selling its Leaf electric vehicle in December priced at 3.76 million yen. The automaker, which will begin taking orders for the car Thursday, also said the car can be purchased for 2.99 million yen including the expected state subsidy for eco cars of 770,000 yen. (Yomiuri) Mar 23 Nissan eyes green tie-up with Daimler Japan's Nissan Motor, under the control of France's Renault, is in talks with Germany's Daimler to procure large engines and cooperate on the development of green cars, a report said Tuesday. Renault, which has a 44.3 percent stake in Japan's third-largest automaker, is already in partnership talks with Daimler and those discussions are likely to expand into three-way negotiations, the Nikkei business daily said. The three sides may agree on a tie-up that could include cross-shareholdings as early as April, the report said, echoing reports about an equity deal last week in the Japanese press and by the Financial Times. (AFP) Mar 22 Nissan plans to lease EV batteries Nissan Motor Co., seeking to lead the emerging market for electric vehicles, said it expects most customers will lease rather than buy battery packs for the vehicles. Leases will account for the 'vast majority' of batteries for models such as Nissan's Leaf, Jonathan Dixon, the company's business-development manager for zero-emission strategic planning, said Friday in London. He didn't give a specific figure. (Japan Times) Mar 15 Toyota, Nissan others set up Japan group to promote electric vehicles, charging standard Toyota and three other Japanese automakers together with a power company have set up a group to promote electric vehicles by standardizing recharging machines and marketing the technology abroad. Representatives of Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co., Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Fuji Heavy Industries and Tokyo Electric Power Co. gathered at a Tokyo hotel Monday to announce the association, which includes about 160 businesses, some of them foreign, and government organizations. The officials said the time may have arrived for electric vehicles to really take off not only in Japan but also around the world as concerns grow about emissions and dependence on oil. But the main hurdles that need to be overcome are better battery technology, costs and having recharging stations in convenient locations. (Canadian Press) Mar 4 Small is beautiful: Japan's hand-made electric cars While auto manufacturing giants spend millions to develop environmentally-friendly electric cars, one Japanese company has taken a more low-key approach, crafting hand-made "green" cars. Takeoka Jidosha Kogei may be the antithesis of the world's Hondas and Nissans. The family-run business makes its cars from scratch in a garage workshop in the snowy foothills in the northwest of the country. There are no industrial robots or assembly lines in sight. Instead just a dozen mechanics crafting each model by hand, right up to the finishing touch of adding a set of beady headlights to their "Milieu" range. (AFP) Feb 25 Nissan, Daihatsu, Suzuki issue car recalls Three Japanese automakers have announced the recall of thousands of vehicles, mostly in their home market. Suzuki Motor is recalling 432,000 small vans in Japan because of a potential problem with air conditioning units. Nissan's recall involves about 76,000 cars in Japan and more than 2,000 overseas due to a defect that may cause engine failure. (BBC) Feb 17 Here comes the electric Nissan Leaf Carlos Ghosn -- in shirtsleeves -- walks briskly into a conference room on the 21st floor of Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan. Awaiting his arrival are 15 executives in two ranks of chairs. Subject of the meeting: how to spread the news about Ghosn's pet electric-car project. His communications staff wants a traditional publicity campaign to build excitement, but Ghosn (rhymes with "phone") has other ideas. He believes that Nissan has a headstart over the rest of the industry -- and he doesn't want to tip his hand. (CNN) Feb 12 Japan Economy Probably Grew Most in Almost Two Years Japan's economy probably grew at the fastest pace since the first quarter of 2008 as a global trade revival fueled demand for the nation's exports. Nissan Motor Co. and Canon Inc. are among companies benefiting from stronger global demand as countries poured more than $2 trillion into their economies to spur growth. Those gains have failed to reach consumers at home, where wages are tumbling and household outlays have been propped up by government incentives that are starting to wear off. (BusinessWeek) [ More... ]