From Hollywood to Detroit, pandemic-weary companies cautious on Omicron

Pandemic-weary corporations struggled to assess the impact of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus on Monday, with industries from Hollywood movie studios to airlines and autos awaiting more details to help determine how it might affect their operations and profits.

The World Health Organization warned on Monday the Omicron variant carries a very high global risk of infection surges. Spooked investors wiped roughly $2 trillion off global stocks on Friday, but markets regained some ground on Monday.

Countries have swiftly imposed bans on travel from southern Africa, where the variant was first uncovered. Japan and Israel went even further, announcing bans on all foreign visitors.

Some airlines said they were not heavily changing schedules, but industry sources said big carriers moved swiftly to protect their hubs by curbing passenger travel from southern Africa.

Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary saw no reason to cancel flights although he was worried about some countries potentially shutting air travel. Lufthansa, Germany's flagship airline, said its flights were still well booked.

US President Joe Biden met with chief executives of major retailers and other companies on Monday to discuss how to move goods to shelves as the US holiday shopping season begins in the shadow of Omicron.

Before the meeting, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon cited improvement in the supply chain, noting the retailer had seen a 26% increase in shipping containers going through U.S. ports over the past four weeks.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Monday it was too soon to tell if Omicron will have any impact on global supply chains.

The prospect of a fast-spreading variant has raised fears of a return of the sort of restrictions that shut down a swathe of industries in 2020.

In Hollywood, where production on film and television shows returned to pre-pandemic levels this summer thanks to stringent health and safety precautions, the studios were waiting to learn more about this latest mutation of the coronavirus.

"With COVID, it keeps shape shifting. It's like mercury -- we can't get our hands around it," said Dr. Neal Baer, a physician who was a longtime producer of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

"It's going to take a couple of weeks for us to know, one, how well vaccinations protect us, two, whether you need a booster and whether a booster helps or three, whether the vaccine needs to be modified to make it effective against this mutation."

Movie theater attendance has been returning in fits and starts since the summer, but a spokesman for the National Association of Theatre Owners said variants remain a concern -- especially after the pullback in attendance that accompanied the Delta variant.

In the United States, auto plants were closed for two months last year. Even after automakers restarted operations, they have curtailed production schedules due to semiconductor chip shortages and other supply-chain constraints. Automakers said it was too soon to predict the impact of Omicron.

"This is new," Nissan Motor Co's US spokeswoman Lloryn love-Carter said. "We're monitoring of course, but we still have a lot of pretty strict COVID protocols in place."

General Motors Co, the largest US automaker, said it was watching closely and its COVID-19 safety protocols remain in place at its plants.

"We continue to strongly encourage our employees to get vaccinated given the broad availability of safe and highly efficacious vaccines," GM spokeswoman Maria Raynal said in an email. "We will continue to review and adjust our protocols as new information regarding this variant becomes available."

Toyota Motor Corp said its US management team will meet on Tuesday to discuss the Omicron variant.

"Right now we're in the 'gathering info' mode," Toyota's U.S. spokesman Scott Vazin said. "Since most of our employees are based in plants, we've never stopped COVID protocols such as social distancing, health screenings, masking up." 

(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit, additional reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles, Tim Hepher in Paris and Alex Alper in Washington; Editing by Peter Graff, Bill Berkrot and Sandra Maler)

-reuters-  

Tesla mocks shortsellers with sale of red satin shorts

After surpassing Toyota Motor Corp as the world's most valuable automaker and stunning with forecast-beating deliveries, Tesla Inc has taken time out to poke fun at the company's naysayers - with sales of red satin shorts.

"Limited edition short shorts now available," CEO Elon Musk tweeted on Sunday.

Musk has often taken umbrage at short-sellers and in 2018 sent a box of shorts to hedge fund owner and Tesla short-seller David Einhorn.

The "Short Shorts" on the Tesla shop website feature gold trim and “S3XY” in gold across the back, which also happens to be formed from Tesla model names.

The shorts cost $69.420, the last 3 digits an apparent reference to Musk's infamous tweet in 2018 that he was considering taking Tesla private for $420 per share, with 420 also a code word for marijuana.

That tweet landed him in hot water with the US securities regulator, costing him his position as Tesla chairman.

Limited edition short shorts now available at https://t.co/5EmNcTBvJv

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2020

The Silicon Valley car maker, however, has reason to crow. Its stock has almost tripled in value this year to just over $1,200 per share and it sold more than 90,000 of its electric vehicles in the second quarter, defying a trend of plummeting sales for other automakers hit by coronavirus-induced lockdowns.

"Run like the wind or entertain like Liberace," the product description says, adding: "Enjoy exceptional comfort from the closing bell." It will ship within 2-4 weeks.

Tesla is expected to announce earnings results for April-June quarter this month, with analysts saying the second-quarter deliveries had heightened expectations that it will report 4 consecutive quarters of profit for the first time in its history.

-reuters-

Toyota to recall 3.4 million vehicles worldwide, air bags may not deploy in crashes

WASHINGTON - Toyota Motor Corp said Tuesday it would recall 3.4 million vehicles worldwide because of an electronic defect that could result in air bags not deploying in crashes.

The recall, which includes 2.9 million US vehicles, covers 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles and is tied to a report of one fatal crash.

The vehicles may have an electronic control unit that does not have adequate protection against electrical noise that can occur in crashes, which could lead to incomplete or non-deployment of the air bags. It could also impede the operation of seat-belt pretensioners.

In April, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) expanded a probe into 12.3 million potentially defective air bags covering a number of automakers, including the vehicles Toyota is recalling.

NHTSA said in April it had identified two frontal crash events, including one fatal crash "involving Toyota products where (electrical overstress) is suspected as the likely cause" of air bags not deploying. Both involved newer Corolla cars.

NHTSA said the air bags under investigation were installed in more than 12 million vehicles from 2010 through 2019 sold by Toyota, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Honda Motor Co , Hyundai Motor Co, Kia Motors Corp and Mitsubishi.

They were equipped with an air bag control unit initially produced by TRW Automotive Holdings Corp, which is now owned by ZF Friedrichshafen.

In total, NHTSA said as many as 8 deaths could be tied to the issue.

Hyundai, Kia and Fiat Chrysler previously issued recalls for more than 2.5 million vehicles with the TRW air bag control units in question that might not deploy in crashes.

When it recalled nearly 2 million vehicles for air bag non-deployments in 2016, Fiat Chrysler said it had reports of three deaths and five injuries that might be related to the defect.

Hyundai and Kia ultimately recalled more than 1 million vehicles for air bag non-deployment concerns in 2018. Hyundai and Kia in 2018 said they had reports of four deaths and six injuries in North America tied to the issue.

Toyota dealers will install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness if needed.

Toyota declined to say how many deaths or injuries have been tied to the defect. Toyota will notify vehicle owners of the recall by mid-March.

Agence France-Presse

Toyota recalls 1.7 million more autos in North America over airbag defects

NEW YORK -- Toyota on Wednesday announced a recall of 1.7 million vehicles in North America as part of a general effort to replace defective Takata airbags tied to some 20 deaths worldwide.

The Japanese auto manufacturer did not say whether it had been notified of injuries or serious incidents related to the latest recall.

The sprawling recall concerned 4Runner SUVs from model years 2010 to 2016, Corolla sedans and Matrix hatchbacks from 2010 to 2013 and Sienna minivans from 2011 to 2014.

The recall also involves Luxury Lexus models: ES 350 sedans (2010-2012), GX 460 SUVs (2010-2017), IS 250C and IS 350C convertibles (2010-2015), IS 250 and IS 350 sedans (2010-2013) and Lexus IS-F sedans (2010-2014).

Scion XB compacts from the 2010 to 2015 model years are also involved.

Dealerships will replace either the airbag inflators or entire airbag systems.

Last week, US automaker Ford recalled 953,000 vehicles to address Takata airbag problems.

This is Toyota's third large-scale Takata-related recall in 5 months. In November, the firm recalled 1.6 million vehicles worldwide.

US authorities in 2014 exposed the Takata airbag defect, which has since resulted in a series of massive recalls concerning at least 100 million units worldwide from multiple manufacturers.

About 20 people have died in accidents linked to the defect while the number of wounded is near 300.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the Takata matter concerns 34 million vehicles and 46 million airbags in the United States but this could rise to 70 million by the end of 2019.

Founded in 1933, Takata went of business in June 2017 because of the crisis. The company was finally acquired last April for $1.6 billion by the equipment maker Key Safety Systems, with the resulting entity renamed Joyson Safety Systems.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Toyota recalls 396,000 vehicles in N. America

Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 396,000 vehicles in North America for a third time due to a suspension issue that could result in loss of control when driving.

The recall involves the Toyota RAV4 sport-utility vehicle from the 2006-2011 model years and the Lexus HS 250h sedan from the 2010 model year.

The latest action is the third time these vehicles have been the subject of a suspension-related recall, following ones in 2012 and 2013.

Toyota said rust can form on the suspension arm threads if the nuts for adjusting rear-wheel alignment were not tightened correctly. Continued rust damage could lead to the suspension arm separating from the vehicle and a loss of control.

==Kyodo

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Carmakers target digital-savvy, eco-conscious drivers

TOKYO -- Toyota's three-seater exoskeleton car and an electric vehicle with touch screens that turn it into a "digital space" are among the concept models that will be on display at the Tokyo Motor Show this week.

The biennial event will also focus on self-driving cars and the latest environmental technology as firms look to tap growing demand for green vehicles, seen as the next evolution in the global automotive industry.

"This year, autonomous driving will be a big trend, with the Japanese automakers really showing what they are trying to do and trying to show that they can match, if not do better, than what Silicon Valley is up to," said Hans Greimel, Asia editor for the Automotive News.

The show's 44th edition, which kicks off Wednesday and runs until November 8, will feature 160 exhibitors including global auto giants and parts suppliers from a dozen countries.

It starts a week after Honda said it would put a commercialized self-driving car on the road by 2020, challenging rivals Toyota and Nissan, which are also betting on the future of vehicles that can drive and, in some case, park themselves.

Google has been testing self-driving cars in Silicon Valley, as have US-based Tesla and General Motors, while Nissan has vowed to put an experimental automated car on Japan's highways as soon as 2016.

At the show, Nissan, a leader in electric vehicles (EV), will show off an EV concept car without knobs and buttons, replaced by tablet-style touch screens featuring controls and maps on a white instrument panel.

Music, videogames and movies can also be played on the screens.

"The car becomes a digital space when it's parked," said Nissan product planning general manager Hidemi Sasaki. "You can use it as a gaming room, movie theater... or you can chat online with your friends."

Toyota's Kikai vehicle conjures images of the Terminator films with some of a usually hidden underbelly -- including fuel tank and hoses -- exposed, giving an inside look at the car's machinery.

The automaker said its concept car shows off "the fundamental appeal of machines: their fine craftsmanship, their beauty, simplicity, and their fascinating motion."

Fuel-cell future

Toyota and Honda will also exhibit their latest fuel-cell offerings, after Toyota last year started selling the world's first mass market fuel-cell car in Japan.

Toyota is hoping to sell tens of thousands of the four-door Mirai -- which is powered by hydrogen and emits nothing but water vapor from its tailpipe -- over the next decade, as it looks to stop producing fossil-fuel based cars altogether by 2050.

Honda's rival fuel-cell features a cruising range of more than 700 kilometers, and generates electricity that could help supply power to a local community in an emergency situation, it said.

Toyota's FCV Plus similarly functions as a power source for homes and communities as the auto giant aims to turn fuel cell vehicles from "eco-cars into energy-cars," it said.

The firm's hybrid gasoline-electric offerings, including the Prius, have sold more than eight million units since their launch in 1997.

But a limited driving range and lack of refuelling stations have hampered development of fuel-cell and all-electric cars, which environmentalists say could play a vital role in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and slowing global warming.

Again this year, most US-based automakers, which have not attended the Tokyo Motor Show since before the global financial crisis, are staying away, a reflection of their puny presence in the Japanese market.

Foreign carmakers have long complained that they were effectively shut out of Japan through tariffs and other barriers, although luxury brands tend to enjoy success in the world's number three auto market after China and the United States.

Among the overseas automakers attending are BMW, Peugeot Citroen, Porsche, Jaguar and crisis-hit Volkswagen, which is embroiled in one of the biggest scandals in the history of the automobile sector.

The German auto giant has admitted it had fitted 11 million of its vehicles with software designed to cheat official checks.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Toyota recalls 625,000 Prius cars, other hybrids globally

Toyota on Wednesday recalled 625,000 hybrid vehicles globally, mostly the Prius model favored by the eco-conscious including Hollywood celebrities, over a defect that can bring the car to an unexpected stop.

The Japanese automaker said the problem was linked to software that controls a power converter, similar to an issue last year that led to the recall of 1.9 million Prius cars -- Toyota's biggest ever for its signature petrol-electric vehicle.

Toyota, the world's biggest car maker, added that no accidents or injuries had been reported.

"In limited instances, the hybrid system might shut down while the vehicle is being driven, resulting in the loss of power, bringing the vehicle to stop," it said.

The latest call back affected the Prius V, which is also sold as the Prius Alpha and Prius+, as well as some Auris hybrid vehicles.

More than half the recalled vehicles were sold in Japan with most of the others in North America and Europe between May 2010 and November 2014.

The Prius was one of the first hybrid cars to go mainstream and was quickly adopted as a symbol of green technology, with the likes of actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz snapped behind the wheel.

Toyota has sold more than seven million hybrid cars globally since the debut of its Prius hybrid in 1997 in the first mass production of green cars.

It has roughly 30 hybrid models sold in more than 90 countries worldwide.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Why Honda is recalling 4.89-M vehicles

TOKYO - Honda on Thursday said it is recalling 4.89 million vehicles over fears about airbag inflators that could explode, widening a global auto parts crisis linked to several deaths.

Japan's number three automaker announced the recall just a day after Toyota and Nissan said they were calling back a combined 6.5 million vehicles over fears about airbags made by embattled supplier Takata.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Toyota, Nissan recall 6.5-M cars globally over exploding airbag fears

TOKYO - Toyota and rival Nissan on Wednesday announced the recall of about 6.5 million vehicles globally in the latest chapter of an exploding airbag crisis linked to at least five deaths.

The world's biggest automaker said its recall of five million vehicles affected 35 models globally produced between March 2003 to November 2007, while Nissan said its recall of 1.56 million vehicles worldwide was also due to faulty airbags made by embattled supplier Takata.

"This will affect many of our markets, including Japan, Europe and North America," a Nissan spokesman told AFP, adding that the explosion risk was among a range of problems seen in the defective airbags.

"There might be many factors. (But) we have seen risks that the metal casing for inflators can malfunction."

Nissan's recall affects a range of models produced between 2004 and 2008.

Both automakers said there were no reports of deaths or injuries linked to their latest airbag-linked recall.

The announcement comes after about 20 million vehicles produced by major automakers, including General Motors and Honda, were recalled because of the risk that their Takata-made airbags could improperly inflate and rupture, potentially firing deadly shrapnel at the occupants.

At least five deaths have been linked to the defect, with one US woman's death intially investigated as a murder due to her grisly injuries.

The scandal has seen Japan-based Takata -- one of the world's biggest airbag suppliers -- hit with lawsuits and regulatory probes.

Toyota said the latest recall affects 1.35 million vehicles sold in Japan, 637,000 sold in the United States and 1.26 million in Europe.

"We have been conducting various ongoing investigations regarding Takata-produced airbag inflators," it said in an email.

"Among the parts collected from the Japanese market, certain types of airbag inflators were found to have a potential for moisture intrusion over time. As a result, they could be susceptible to abnormal deployment in a crash."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Toyota recalls 2.27-M vehicles globally over airbag defect

TOKYO - Toyota on Wednesday said it was recalling 2.27 million vehicles globally over an airbag system defect that could cause a fire, the latest in a series of callbacks by the world's biggest automaker.

The company, which has now recalled about nine million vehicles in the past two months, said the announcement covered about 20 models, including its Corolla sedan and Yaris subcompact.

The fire risk from the defect covers about 1.62 million cars abroad and 650,000 in Japan, Toyota said.

"There is a risk that the airbag container could break down and scatter around, which could cause fire or injuries," the carmaker said in a statement submitted to Japan's transport ministry on Wednesday.

It did not elaborate on details of the potential fire hazard, but a company spokesman in Tokyo said the automaker had received a complaint from a Japanese customer who said his passenger seat was burned due to the glitch.

The spokesman added that no serious injuries or accidents linked to the defect had been reported.

The callback comes after Toyota in April recalled 6.39 million vehicles globally over a string of problems, dealing another blow to the firm, whose reputation for quality and safety has been dented in recent years.

Despite record sales and bumper profits, Toyota has been fighting to protect its brand after earlier recalls involving millions of vehicles.

In March, it reached a deal to pay $1.2 billion to settle US criminal charges that it covered up a sticky pedal blamed for dozens of deaths.

US rival General Motors has also been sideswiped by accusations that it hid a decade-long ignition and airbag problem linked to 13 deaths.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Toyota to launch 'car of future' in US in 2015

LAS VEGAS - Toyota said Monday it plans to launch a fuel-cell car in the United States next year, declaring the hydrogen vehicle with zero emissions "the car of the future."

Toyota Motor Sales vice president Bob Carter said the initial market will be California, together with an initiative to establish hydrogen refueling stations in key regions of the state.

"In 2015, we will bring this car to market," Carter said in the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The vehicle, yet to be named, would be a "zero-emission, electric-drive, mid-size, four-door sedan."

"Functionally, this is a regular car," he added.

The streamlined design is to maximize oxygen intake for the fuel-cell process. It will be able to travel 300 miles (480 kilometers) on a single fueling, which would take three to five minutes.

While carmakers have long touted the advantages of fuel cells, high production costs and a lack of fuel stations have held back the technology.

Carter said however that Toyota had been getting results from its major investments and added that "we believe we can bring it in at a very reasonable price for a lot of people."

Government initiatives in California were making progress in getting hydrogen fueling stations in needed areas, he added.

"The issue of infrastructure is not so much about how many, but rather location, location, location," he said.

"Fuel cells will be in our future sooner than many people believe... and in much greater numbers than anyone expected."

Toyota unveiled a prototype last year at the Tokyo auto show, but on Monday offered more details for its plans for the US market.

Honda is also expected to roll out a fuel-cell car in the US market in 2015, and other automakers are working on the technology, which emits only water vapor as exhaust.

Honda already has a fuel-cell car, the FCX Clarity, available on a small scale in a limited number of markets.

Carter said that Toyota and California officials plan to add 20 new fuel stations by 2015 to the 10 existing ones. The goal is to have about 100 in the state, and to have a station within a six-minute drive of an owner's home or business.

"This infrastructure thing is going to happen," he said.

"I believe this vehicle will be the car of the future."

It is expected to launch in Japan at about the same time.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

BMW, Toyota agree on joint sportscar platform

FRANKFURT- Carmakers BMW and Toyota have agreed to develop a joint platform for sportscars, BMW's development chief Herbert Diess told a German newspaper.

"We have agreed on a joint architecture for a sports car. What is important is that there will be two different vehicles that are authentic to the two brands," Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Monday quoted Diess as saying.

BMW and Toyota had in January signed an agreement to cooperate on various areas including lithium-air batteries and lightweight technology.

They also said at the time they would study the potential for a joint platform for a mid-sized sports vehicle in a feasibility study to be completed by the end of 2013.

Frankfurter Allgemeine said that Diess declined to provide details on the models that would result from the cooperation.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Eiji Toyoda, who helped steer Toyota's rise, dies at 100

TOKYO - Eiji Toyoda, who helped steer Toyota Motor Corp's global rise and pioneered the automaker's vaunted production system, died on Tuesday, the Japanese automaker said. He was 100.

Toyoda, cousin of the automaker's founder, died of heart failure in Toyota City, the company said in a statement.

A taciturn engineer, Toyoda served as president between 1967 and 1982. He was chairman until 1994 and remained an honorary advisor at Toyota up until the time of his death.

Over his career, Toyoda presided over Toyota's rise in the U.S. market from the launch of the Corolla in the late 1960s to the decision to begin making cars in the United States in the late 1980s.

Toyoda was also instrumental in developing what became the automaker's much-imitated method of producing cars with as little waste as possible and continual quality improvements, a system that became known as the "Toyota Way".

In 1950, company founder Kiichiro Toyoda sent Eiji, a graduate of the University of Tokyo, to Ford Motor Co's massive Rouge Plant to learn about car making from the company that had pioneered mass production.

In a story that is still shared at Toyota training sessions, Toyoda returned to Japan impressed with U.S. materials and machinery but convinced that he could make improvements to Ford's world-famous production system.

"Japan's automobile industry facilities and engineers are good but our machine tools are inferior. If we can solve this problem, we can manufacture good and economic vehicles that are equal to America's," Toyoda wrote after his month and a half of training at Ford's major factories.

At the time of his death, Toyoda was being treated at a hospital the company had first founded as a clinic for its factory workers in 1938.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Toyota to recall over 70,000 Crown, hybrid cars

TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will recall a total of 74,662 vehicles including five gasoline-powered models and two hybrid cars.

Subject to the recall are the Crown luxury car, the Mark X sedan, the Lexus GS350, the Lexus IS350C, and the Harrier and Kluger hybrids.

The automaker will also recall a total of around 290,000 vehicles exported overseas, it said.

In a report to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, Toyota said the engines of the gasoline-powered models could stall due to a fault in a device controlling air intake.

As for the hybrid models, an electronic part in their hybrid systems could be damaged due to heat, causing motors and power generators to stop working.

No accidents have been reported so far.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Toyota to recall 7.4 million vehicles

TOKYO - Japan's Toyota Motor Corp announced a massive recall on Wednesday to fix malfunctioning power window switches, saying it will pull back 7.43 million vehicles worldwide in the biggest single recall since 1996, performed by Ford Motor Co.

The move comes as Japan's biggest automaker tries to rebuild trust after a series of recalls between 2009 and 2011 in which it pulled back around 10 million vehicles, and as it struggles with plummeting Chinese sales as a result of a Sino-Japanese territorial dispute.

The recall primarily affects cars in the United States, China and Europe. Toyota's main rivals in the U.S. include Ford and General Motors Co, while in China they include Volkswagen AG, Hyundai Motor Co  and Nissan Motor Co Ltd, and in Europe Hyundai and Nissan.

The recall will include some Yaris and Corolla models on which the power window switches can be repaired in about 40 minutes, the company said.

"The process to repair (the power window switch) is not an extensive one," spokeswoman Monika Saito said, adding that it would involve putting heat-resistant lubricant on the switches, or exchanging them.

Toyota declined to disclose how much the recall would cost, or how it might affect its earnings.

The recall will include 2.47 million vehicles in the United States, as well as 1.40 million vehicles in China and 1.39 million vehicles in Europe.

In Japan, Toyota is recalling about 459,300 vehicles, including the Vitz, produced between 2006 and 2008.

The firm is also recalling 650,000 vehicles in Australia and Asia, 490,000 vehicles in the Near and Middle East, 240,000 vehicles in Canada and 330,000 vehicles elsewhere, said Shino Yamada, another spokeswoman for Toyota.

The vehicles recalled outside Japan include certain models of the Yaris, Vios, Corolla, Matrix, Auris, Camry, RAV4, Highlander, Tundra, Sequoia, xB and xD produced between 2005 and 2010.

The first time the problem was reported was in September 2008 in the United States, Saito said.

No accidents, injuries or deaths have been reported as a result of the problem, though there is a possibility that the malfunctioning switches could emit smoke, she said.

The move comes a day after Toyota reported that its sales fell 48.9 percent year-on-year in China in September. Japanese car brands have suffered as a result of an outbreak of anti-Japan sentiment in China in response to a territorial dispute between the two countries.

In 1996, Ford pulled back 8 million vehicles to replace defective ignition switches that could have caused engine fires.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Toyota unveils robot helper

TOKYO —Toyota on Wednesday unveiled a robotic best friend that can offer a helping hand around the house fetching and carrying for the elderly or immobile.

The human support robot, a compact cylinder-shaped machine 37 centimeters in diameter and up to 130 centimeters tall, can be remotely controlled by a tablet computer to recognise items it is sent to fetch.

Taking their cue from dogs that are trained to retrieve things, Toyota engineers designed the robot to perform simple tasks on command, using an arm equipped with a small suction pad.

“The robot still has challenges such as selecting items from a drawer containing all sorts of things, for example,” said Takashi Yamamoto, general manager at Toyota’s advanced technology engineering department.

“Finding an item by itself before getting it to the person controlling it is the most difficult challenge,” he said.

Toyota, one of the world’s biggest automakers, has applied technology developed for its cars, such as precise control of motors at high speeds, in the design of the robots.

Products catering to the elderly are big business in Japan, where a declining birthrate and lengthening life-expectancy is creating a greying society.

source: japantoday.com

Toyota to post Y350 bil profit

TOKYO — Toyota Motor will post a full-year operating profit of 350 billion yen, nearly 30% above forecast, when it announces its earning results next week, according to a report.

The Nikkei business daily said the projected operating profit in the year to March 31, will surpass the 270 billion yen estimate it gave in February, thanks to strong sales and a weakening yen in recent months.

The firm would also target operating profit to surge to around 800-900 billion yen for the current fiscal year, which would mark a more than doubling on the year, the daily said.

Despite the huge jump, the fiscal 2011 figure would still mark a drop of 25% year-on-year as Toyota cut production in the wake of a massive earthquake and tsunami disaster at home and heavy flooding in Thailand.

The effect of the natural disasters wore off mostly by the end of last year, enabling Toyota to increase output from January, the Nikkei noted.

Domestic eco-car subsidies helped to spur sales of its hybrid vehicles while results were solid in North America as well as in emerging markets, it said.

The yen, which hit a record high against the dollar last year, began to weaken in February and March, helping to mitigate an erosion in export profitability, according to the Nikkei.

The report did not mention possible net profit figures.

Toyota is to announce its earnings reuslts on May 9.

source: japantoday.com