WIRE REPORTS

Toyota posts 51% surge in Q3 profit Middle East North Africa Financial Network (MENAFN) Toyota Motor Corp said that third-quarter operating profit soared 51 percent to USD1.95 billion, beating earlier forecasts, reported Reuters. Japan's top carmaker added that in the period, net profit, which includes earnings at the company's ... and more » DeNA, Japan Petroleum, Toppan, Toyota: Japanese Stocks Preview BusinessWeek Toyota Motor Corp. (7203 JT): Japan's biggest carmaker raised its net-income forecast 11 percent to 200 billion yen as rebounding sales in the US help Japanese manufacturers emerge after a year marked by natural disasters at home and in Thailand. and more » Toyota Lifts Profit Forecast as Disaster Woes Fade ABC News Toyota Motor Corp. reported Tuesday an 80.9 billion yen ($1.05 billion) profit for the October-December third quarter, down from 93.6 billion yen a year earlier. Showing confidence in its ability to bounce back, the manufacturer of the Prius ... and more » Toyota Shows Optimism Despite Gloom Wall Street Journal By YOSHIO TAKAHASHI TOKYO?Toyota Motor Corp. demonstrated unexpected optimism about the remainder of the fiscal year, raising its full-year earnings target, even as the yen's strength pressures exports and production slowly recovers from severe ... and more » Toyota Raises Full-Year Profit Forecast on Sales Recovery BusinessWeek 7 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp. raised its profit forecast 11 percent as rebounding sales in the US help Japanese carmakers emerge from a year marred by natural disasters. Net income will be 200 billion yen ($2.6 billion) in the 12 months ending ... and more » Toyota Q3 jumps, sees "tough race" in N. America Reuters ... Feb 7 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp reported a stronger-than-expected quarterly operating profit and raised its annual forecast on cost cuts and Japanese government subsidies, though this is still some way below analysts' expectations. and more » Toyota Q3 jumps, sees "tough race" in North America Reuters By Chang-Ran Kim | TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp reported a stronger-than-expected quarterly operating profit and raised its annual forecast on cost cuts and Japanese government subsidies, though this is still some way below analysts' ... and more » LEAD: Toyota posts drop in quarterly profits, raises year forecast Monsters and Critics.com Tokyo - Toyota Motor Corp said Tuesday that its net profit declined 13.5 per cent for the October-December quarter from a year earlier, amid a rising yen and falling sales in Asia in 2011. But the carmaker increased its forecast for the financial year ... and more » Toyota lifts profit forecast as disaster woes fade STLtoday.com Toyota Motor Corp. reported Tuesday an 80.9 billion yen ($1.05 billion) profit for the October-December third quarter, down from 93.6 billion yen a year earlier. Showing confidence in its ability to bounce back, the manufacturer of the Prius ... and more » Toyota Q3 jumps, raises full-year outlook ABS CBN News By Chang-Ran Kim, Reuters TOKYO -- Toyota Motor Corp. reported a stronger-than-expected quarterly operating profit, shrugging off a firm yen and the damaging impact of flooding in Thailand, and raised its annual forecast, helped by cost cuts and ... and more »

DAILY REPORTS

Feb 6 Japan Stocks Advance on U.S. Jobs Data; Nikon Jumps After Lifting Forecast Japanese stocks rose, with the Nikkei 225 Stock Average closing at its highest level in three months, after U.S. joblessness fell and companies from Nikon Corp. (7731) to Oki Electric Industry Co. raised profit forecasts. Sony Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) advanced on optimism rising employment in the U.S. will boost exports. Nikon surged 11 percent after raising its full-year outlook on sales of digital cameras. Oki Electric jumped 14 percent. "In the second half of last year, talk was all about whether the U.S. will go back into a recession," said Andrew Pease, Sydney-based chief investment strategist for the Asia- Pacific region at Russell Investment Group, which manages about $150 billion. "Now I think talk will be about what will be the strength of the recovery in the U.S. That's an important shift in the balance of risk." The Nikkei 225 gained 1.1 percent to 8,929.20, its highest close since Oct. 31. (Bloomberg) Jan 26 Toyota global sales forecast rises on green demand Toyota raised its global sales target for this year to 8.58 million vehicles, up 21 percent from the previous year, as incentives for ecological cars lift demand in Japan. Toyota Motor Corp., which struggled from production interruptions last year caused by Japan's tsunami and flooding in Thailand, raised its forecast for Japan sales Wednesday to 1.63 million vehicles from an earlier 1.53 million. The latest forecast marks a 36 jump from the previous year. Toyota has been aiming for a comeback and had said in December that it plans to sell 8.48 million vehicles in 2012. The Japanese automaker behind the Lexus luxury car and the Camry sedan sold 7.95 million vehicles in 2011, down 6 percent from 2010. (AP) Jan 25 Japanese stocks advance as yen eases, Apple posts record profit Japanese stocks advanced, sending the Topix Index up for a seventh day, as the yen weakened and technology companies rose after Apple Inc. reported record sales and profit. Sony Corp., Japan's biggest exporter of consumer electronics, gained 4.8 percent. Toshiba Corp., a supplier of chips for Apple's iPad, rose 1.8 percent. Toyota Motor Corp. climbed 3 percent after a report that Nippon Steel Corp. agreed to cut material prices for Japan's biggest carmaker. The Topix, the country's broadest equity gauge, climbed 1.3 percent to 767.40 at the 3 p.m. close in Tokyo, its longest winning streak since July 6. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose 1.1 percent to 8,883.69, its highest since Oct. 31. (BusinessWeek) Jan 24 Exporter Japan eyes first trade deficit in 3 decades Japan probably produced its first trade deficit last year in more than three decades as energy imports surged to cover for the loss of nuclear power following the Fukushima disaster, a major blow to an economy built on its exports prowess. For decades Japan used an exports-orientated economic policy to build up global brand names such as Toyota, Sony and Canon and a manufacturing might that was the envy of the world. Official trade figures due for release on Wednesday are expected to show that Japan swung to a deficit for the first time since 1980, as utilities purchased fossil fuels for power stations to make up for the loss of nuclear power. (Reuters) Jan 19 General Motors ousts Toyota, retakes title of world's top-selling automaker General Motors Co. has retaken the title of world's top-selling automaker, selling just over 9 million cars and trucks across the globe. The company said Thursday that it sold 9.03 million vehicles worldwide last year, up 7.6 percent from 2010. That's more than 1 million better than Japan's Toyota Motor Corp., which took the title away from GM in 2008. GM had held the global sales crown for more than seven decades before losing it to Toyota, as GM's sales tanked while it headed toward financial ruin. In 2009, GM filed for bankruptcy protection, needing a U.S. government bailout to survive. (Washington Post) Jan 18 James Bond getaway car gets new lease on life For a former James Bond car, it's a chance to live twice. Japanese engineers put a new spin on an old classic car for a recent auto show, remodeling a Toyota 2000GT with solar panels and high-tech gadgets to make it 100 percent electric and solar-powered. Heralded as Japan's first sports car when it came out in 1967, the vehicle was used in the James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice," released that same year, as a getaway car for the intrepid Bond, played by Sean Connery. But the new eco-friendly version comes with a catch -- it takes nearly two weeks for the vehicle to power up completely. (Reuters) Jan 12 Renault-Nissan likely placed third in sales in 2011: Ghosn The Renault-Nissan Alliance may have placed third in 2011 global new car sales with about 8.03 million vehicles, a figure including those sold by the Renault-financed AvtoVAZ of Russia, according to Nissan Motor Co. President Carlos Ghosn. Ghosn unveiled the data in a speech at the annual North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Together with alliance partner Renault SA, Nissan appears to have passed Toyota Motor Corp., which sold an estimated 7.9 million vehicles last year. Volkswagen AG said Monday that new car sales for its group firms, excluding sales of some commercial vehicles, grew 14.3 percent in 2011 from the previous year to a record 8.16 million units. (Japan Times) Jan 11 Toyota Prius Japan top-selling car for third year The Prius gas-electric hybrid was Japan's top-selling vehicle in 2011 for the third straight year, underlining how the ecological car has scored a big hit. Sales of Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius totaled 252,528 vehicles in 2011, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Wednesday. The Fit subcompact from Japanese rival Honda Motor Co., which also comes in hybrid models, was No. 2. Government-backed incentives and tax breaks have lifted the sales of ecological models despite a sluggish Japanese auto market. (AP) Jan 4 Japanese automakers say goodbye to disaster-filled 2011 The big Japanese automakers are happy to see 2011 in their rear-view mirrors. The Detroit auto companies posted a double-digit sales increase for the year, but the big Japanese brands -- especially Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. -- were hamstrung by a series of natural disasters. First, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March hit, and then, later in the year, flooding closed parts suppliers in Thailand, disrupting their global auto manufacturing and leaving them with too few cars for the American market. Toyota saw its sales fall 6.7% to 1.6 million vehicles last year. Its sales in December grew by just a few hundred vehicles to 178,131 compared with the same month a year earlier. Honda's annual sales fell 6.8% to 1.1 vehicles. Its December sales fell 19% to 105,230 vehicles. (Los Angeles Times) Jan 4 Nikkei climbs 1.2 percent, eyes 75-day moving average Japan's leading share average rose to a three-week closing high on Wednesday after better-than-expected economic data from the United States and China, although strategists said the rally could stall if the euro holds below 100 yen. The data eased concerns over the health of the global economy, boosting Japanese automakers and financials. Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) advanced 3.1 percent and Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) gained 1 percent, while battered Nomura Holdings (8604.T) topped the blue-chip Topix Core 30 .TOPXC list as the biggest percentage gainer, adding 6.9 percent. (Reuters) Jan 2 Most top firms predict no growth in new year More than 70 percent of 105 leading Japanese companies see economic activity here either receding or flattening out because of the yen's continued strength and slowdowns in the U.S. and European economies, according to survey released Monday. Japan's economy is regarded as "slowing" or "gradually slowing" by 17 companies, and leveling out by 58, the December survey carried out by Kyodo News said. The survey sought responses from the top executives at leading companies including Canon Inc., Nippon Steel Corp., Sony Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. (Japan Times) Dec 30 Japan's Nikkei at lowest year-end level since 1982 Japan's main share index has closed at its lowest end-of-year level since 1982. The Nikkei 225 index finished Friday up 0.7% to 8,455.35 Stocks have been hit by a weak global economy, as well as a devastating earthquake and tsunami on 16 March that left 20,000 people dead or missing and sparked a nuclear crisis. Shares have lost a fifth of their value this year, with the majority of losses in the two days following the disaster. The disaster severely disrupted manufacturing at carmakers such as Toyota and electronics firms such as Sony. (BBC) Dec 27 Toyota releases Aqua compact hybrid in Japan Toyota Motor Corp. on Monday began selling in Japan the Aqua compact hybrid vehicle, which it claims has the world's best fuel economy. The vehicle is equipped with a new 1.5-liter hybrid system and gets 35.4 kilometers per liter under a new testing method close to actual driving conditions, Toyota said. The automaker has reduced the weight of the hybrid system by more than 40 kilograms compared to its Prius system, it said. Priced from 1.69 million yen, Toyota said it aims to sell 12,000 of the vehicles per month within Japan, and eventually to begin selling it in approximately 50 other countries including the United States. (Mainichi) Dec 26 Carmakers getting parts from overseas / Strong yen forces domestic manufacturers to cut production costs Domestic automakers, which are being squeezed by the extreme rise in the yen's value, are seeking to cut production costs by buying more parts from overseas. Some economists fear Japanese parts makers will be forced to relocate plants overseas or go out of business if the trend continues. Economists say this could lead to the complete hollowing-out of the Japanese automobile industry. Toyota Motor Corp. in August invited officials from about 40 South Korean parts makers to its head office in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, to display their companies' technologies. (Yomiuri) Dec 22 Toyota aims to sell 8.48 million vehicles in 2012 Toyota is aiming for a comeback, targeting record global sales of 8.48 million vehicles in 2012 and an even bigger number in 2013, after being battered this year by the March disaster in Japan and flooding in Thailand. Toyota Motor Corp., Japan's top automaker, relinquished its title as the world's biggest in global vehicle sales for the first half of this year, sinking to No. 3 trailing U.S. rival General Motors Co. and Volkswagen AG of Germany. Toyota's global vehicle sales for this year total 7.9 million vehicles, including group companies, down 6 percent from the previous year, it said in a statement Thursday. General Motors Co. has not yet released its global sales numbers for this year. The Detroit-based automaker had been at the top for more than seven decades until Toyota took the crown in 2008. (AP) Dec 20 Economy sees first signs of nasty drop Kiyohito Okuda is a businessman and an optimist, and so he has found at least one redeeming angle to Japan's slow-motion economic decline: Never has the pain felt too acute to bear. After years of shrinking sales and curtailed ambitions, he can still handle a little more bad news. When Toyota Motor Corp. recently urged its suppliers - Okuda's auto parts manufacturing company among them - to cut prices 3 percent, Okuda said OK. Indeed, the request sounded fair. Okuda's profits will wither, but he won't need to take out loans, he said, and he won't lay off any of his 130 workers. The company will still throw its end-of-the-year drinking party. (Japan Times) Dec 13 Marathon: Blind 11-year-old girl from Japan finishes Honolulu marathon with tears and cheers Wakana Ueda followed the sounds of applause, of chanting and of her mother's voice as she crossed the finish line of the Honolulu Marathon on December 11. The blind, 11-year-old girl from Toyota City, Japan, had tears in her eyes as she reunited with her family after 14 hours, 3 minutes and 12 seconds since the start of the race, Hawaii News Now reports. The girl's first marathon was not without its difficulties: the physical strains of the course almost derailed her at several points - but determination and encouragement from her team carried her through the finish line strung with flower petals. (nydailynews.com) Dec 9 Toyota halves profit view Toyota, set to lose its crown as the world's top-selling automaker this year, more than halved its annual profit forecast to $2.6 billion, reeling from a strong yen and Thai floods that severed its supply lines. Toyota Motor Corp's (7203.T) inability to make enough cars - production was also ruptured by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March - is expected to see it overtaken in sales this year by General Motors Co (GM.N) and probably Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE). (Reuters) Dec 8 Japan police search for missing American woman Police in Japan are searching for an American woman who has been missing for six weeks, they said Wednesday. Kelli Abad, 27, was last seen October 26, leaving Kadena Air Base, a major U.S. Air Force facility in Japan, local police told CNN. Her car, a Toyota SUV, was found three days later at Cape Zanpa on the island of Okinawa about 10 miles from the base, with her cell phone and purse inside, the Kadena police department said. Police, the fire department and coast guard have searched caves and cliffs in the area but have found no trace of her, police said. Her husband is stationed at the air base, police in Okinawa said. (CNN) Dec 6 Georgia woman missing in Japan Authorities in Japan are searching for a Georgia mother of two who disappeared from a U.S. Air Force base more than a month ago. Facebook Kelli Cribbs Abad and her children. Abad has been missing in Japan since Oct. 26, 2011. Special Kelli Cribbs Abad, who is from the southeast Georgia town of Brooklet, has been living in Okinawa with her husband for three years. Shown here is a poster reporting her disappearance. Kelli Cribbs Abad, who is from the southeast Georgia town of Brooklet, was last seen Oct. 26 leaving a gate at Kadena Air Base near Okinawa, where the 27-year-old woman's husband is based. Abad's Toyota sport utility vehicle was found three days later in a coastal area about 10 miles from the base. Channel 2 Action News reported that Japanese and U.S. military authorities searched caves and cliffs near where Abad's SUV was discovered, but found no traces of the woman. Her passport was found at her home, and her cell phone and purse were not taken. (ajc.com) Dec 2 Strong yen hits Japanese carmakers The slogans at Toyota's stand at the Tokyo motor show are clearly designed to pump up the mood, the way an officer might before leading troops into battle, or the way a football coach does before an important match. "Reborn", declares one, with another crying: "Fun to drive again". But the marketing teams' sterling efforts have amounted to little, as Japan's carmakers seem to be overwhelmed by a power greater than their own - namely the strength of the country's currency, which makes the cars they make here incredibly expensive abroad. The yen has risen 8% during the last year, and is currently trading at around 78 to the US dollar. Carmakers here say 100 yen to the dollar would be an acceptable level that would enable manufacturers to compete internationally. (BBC) Dec 1 Toyota, BMW tie up on green technologies Toyota Motor Corp. and Germany's BMW said Thursday they are teaming up in the field of hybrid vehicle technologies, aiming to speed up development and lower the costs of producing "green" vehicles amid a stricter regulatory environment. Under the agreement, the two carmakers will carry out joint research into next-generation lithium-ion battery technologies, among other projects, they told a joint news conference in Tokyo. BMW will also supply 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter diesel engines to Toyota's unit in Europe starting in 2014, which will help the Japanese automaker expand its lineup of low-emission vehicles in the region. (Japan Times) 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 30 Honda planning to market hybrid Accord next year Honda Motor Co. plans to introduce a hybrid version of its Accord sedan next year, President Takanobu Ito said Wednesday. "We are currently developing a hybrid engine system for midsize to large vehicles," Ito said in an interview at the Tokyo Motor Show. Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it plans to introduce a plug-in version of the best-selling Prius in Japan at the end of January, with prices starting at ¥3.2 million. (Japan Times) Nov 29 Motor show opens with car firms facing triple whammy The Tokyo Motor Show kicks off Saturday amid a variety of challenges facing the automobile industry, including intensifying global competition, the yen's historic surge and supply disruptions caused by natural disasters. For Japanese automakers, emerging rivals in South Korea and other Asian countries have joined the ranks of long-standing competitors such as General Motors of the U.S. and Volkswagen AG of Germany. The yen's record rise has also cut into repatriated profits and eroded Japanese makers' competitiveness overseas. Experts agree that Hyundai Motor Co.'s growth stands out among Asian rivals. Japan's No. 1, Toyota Motor Corp., produced more than 8 million units in 2010, but yielded to GM, which marked a rapid recovery from a collapse in 2009, as the biggest global automaker for the first time in four years. (Japan Times) [ More... ]