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Tag - cars

 
 

CARS

People gather near BYD's new electric cars at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition last month.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
May 5, 2026
China's carmakers chase 'Yaris moment' to ignite overseas growth
Automakers are re-engineering vehicles from the ground up for foreign buyers.
Electric vehicles at a charging station in Kathmandu on April 29. An expanding network of charging stations in the country has made long-distance electric travel increasingly viable as the number of EVs on the road has risen sharply.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 4, 2026
More people in Nepal drive electric, evading global fuel shocks
The Himalayan nation imported more than 13,500 EVs between mid-2024 and mid-2025 ¡ª?double that of gas vehicles and a sharp rise from just seven a decade ago, data shows.
Nissan is pushing ahead with a growth plan for China that calls for annual sales to reach 1 million cars by the end of the decade.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 26, 2026
Nissan is betting on ¡®China speed¡¯ to get back on its feet
The carmaker is pushing ahead with a growth plan for China that calls for annual sales to reach 1 million cars by the end of the decade.
A CATL sodium-ion battery model. Sodium-based batteries have become more appealing with advances in energy density, which mean they¡¯re now capable of powering vehicles.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 24, 2026
Laps of icy roads in China show sodium batteries making an EV breakthrough
The innovation has long promised to deliver safer and low-cost rechargeable cells compared to lithium batteries.
A street in Cairo in March. Nissan hopes to benefit from Egypt, a country that has been charting a manufacturing and export-led revival.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 24, 2026
Nissan to ramp up Egypt carmaking in bid to boost Africa sales
A new production line will see the automaker deliver at least 10,000 extra cars annually.
A worker handles aluminum extrusions at the Kato Light Metal Industry factory in Kanie, Aichi Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 20, 2026
Japanese manufacturers hurt most by aluminum shortage from Iran war
Domestic carmakers get about 70% of their aluminum imports from the Middle East, according to the nation's top auto lobby.
A prototype of BYD's Racco electric minivehicle series to hit the Japanese market  this summer
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 19, 2026
Compact EV competition heating up in Japan
Some industry officials expect competition can help revitalize the domestic EV market and increase sales.
Nissan plans to reduce the number of models from the current 56 to 45 and streamline 80% of its volume into three main "families¡± of vehicles built on shared platforms.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 14, 2026
Nissan's Espinosa plans 20% reduction in models in plan to reinvigorate carmaker
The long-awaited strategy marks the CEO's first effort to reshape Nissan after its troubled, two-decade partnership with Renault and an aborted merger with Honda Motor.
A Honda car outside the Honda headquarters in Tokyo. The company is expected to report an annual loss for the last fiscal year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 3, 2026
Honda needs a big pivot, and maybe a partner, after big EV-related losses
Brand power and a solid reputation will help as it undertakes an overhaul, with a likely shift toward hybrids.
Electric vehicles on display outside the Geely Auto Group Global Comprehensive Safety Center in Ningbo, China, in December last year
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2026
Cheap Chinese cars are waiting on Detroit's doorstep
Nervous U.S. automakers fear it's just a question of when Chinese competitors will succeed in cracking the market.
Toyota¡¯s global sales in February fell 2.3% from last year to 806,905 units.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 30, 2026
Toyota sales fall, while Japan¡¯s automakers brace for Iran impact
The carmaker was hurt by aggressive competition in electric vehicles in China and weak demand at home in Japan.
Almost one out of every three motorcycles sold globally is a Honda, generating the majority of the manufacturer¡¯s operating profit despite accounting for less than a fifth of sales.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 26, 2026
Bikes keep Honda afloat, yet even that business is under pressure
The company's costly misfire on electric cars has dramatically increased the stakes for it to avoid making the same mistakes with motorcycles.
An employee points at a "sold out" sticker at a used-car export complex in Incheon, South Korea.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 25, 2026
Lamborghinis stranded in Sri Lanka as war disrupts Asia's used-car trade
Japan and South Korea exported a combined $19 billion worth of used cars last year, with Japan accounting for a little ?more than half of that.
Toyota's Tokyo headquarters. The company is investing another $1 billion in its U.S. operations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 24, 2026
Toyota plans $1 billion investment in two of its U.S. plants
The automaker is increasing production and preparing one plant for electric vehicle manufacturing.
CEO Toshihiro Mibe broke with Honda¡¯s long history as an internal combustion engine whiz in an effort to reinvent the company as an electric motor powerhouse by 2040, but his vision of initially achieving 40% EV sales by 2030 is now in tatters.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Mar 16, 2026
Honda¡¯s car troubles began long before its disastrous bet on EVs
The carmaker invested too much and too late into a short-lived electric-vehicle boom, and now finds itself saddled with an aging line-up and questions about its future.
Honda will cancel the development and launch of three electric vehicle models that had been planned for North America.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 12, 2026
Honda warns of ?2.5 trillion charge on global EV downturn
The carmaker said Thursday that it would cancel the development and launch of three EV models that had been planned for North America.
While Tokyo is becoming a kind of test bed for the world¡¯s leading robotaxi ventures, Japan is lagging when it comes to the regulatory framework needed for autonomous vehicles to gain traction.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 12, 2026
U.S. self-driving startup Nuro begins testing in Tokyo
While Tokyo is becoming a test bed for the world¡¯s leading robotaxi ventures, Japan is lagging when it comes to regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles.
The strait of Hormuz in December 2023
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2026
Middle East tensions disrupt maritime transport to Japan
The impact of the shipping freeze is spreading, with some Japanese automakers considering cutting production due to stalled exports.
Honda¡¯s Acura Integra Type S is one of the two U.S.-built models to be sold in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 5, 2026
Honda to boost Japan lineup by importing cars from the U.S. and China
Honda said it¡¯s taking advantage of a simplified certification system in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump¡¯s push to sell more American cars in Japan.
The percentage of foreign drivers who passed the written test for a Japanese driver¡¯s license dropped to 42.8% between October and December last year, and the practical test, to 13.1%, police figures show.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 3, 2026
Foreign driver's license conversion rates plunge after tighter rules brought in
The passing rate for the written test plummeted to 42.8% between October and December, while that for the practical test tumbled to 13.1%.

Longform

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