New Toyota Plant in Northern Japan?

Toyota is from Japan and this where Toyota flourished. However, Japan is an expensive country for its highly skilled and expensive workforce. So, for nearly two decades Toyota opened a number of manufacturing plants in other parts of the world but not in Japan. Now, Toyota is planning to open a new manufacturing plant in northern part of Japan.

MarketWatch reported:

Central Motor Co., which is held 48% by Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.TO), said that it will start talks with local government to establish the plant, the first new domestic group plant since Kanto Auto Works Ltd. (7223.TO) built facilities in Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan in 1993.
As part of the move, Central Motor will abolish its headquarters and facilities at its existing plant in Sagamihara, near Tokyo and move them to the new location. The existing plant doesn't have room to boost production.

This is a good strategy from Toyota. Japan is still a very big market of car in the world. Japanese people re rigch and they can afford to buy expensive models. So, I think that Toyota will have better position in Japanese car market in future.

Toyota: What Next in US and Japan?Japan?

Toyota is one of the most famous brands in the world. It is a brand that is known to everyone in every part of the world. Toyota is having a tough time at this moment as it is in a deep rivalry with general motors. Ion 2007, Toyota is having difficult time to go ahead of GM in global sales of cars. Two markets are very important for Toyota. They are USAQ and Japan. Japan is the place that Toyota originated. On the other hand, USA is the country that has the largest auto market in the world. Right now, Toyota is not doing very well in the US market. In 2007, Toyota saw that its sale in USA did not meet the expectations. However, Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe is not worried about the American market that much. Rather, he is more worried about the Japanese market.

Reuters reported:

The head of Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday he is bullish about future demand for cars in the United States, the world's biggest market, but the shrinking Japanese market is a challenge.
"The U.S. population is going to continue expanding, and (economic) fundamentals are very strong," Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe told an industry conference ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show.
"But Japan is a very big worry," he said.
Watanabe's comments come despite a 2.8 percent fall in U.S. light vehicle sales in the first nine months of the year, hit by high oil prices and worries over the subprime mortgage mess.

I think, Toyota should be more focused on the Asian market because the growth will happen in Asian countries like China and India.

Toyota vs GM: Who is the Largest Auto Maker?

In the world car market there is intense rivalry between Toyota and General Motors. A General Motor is an American company a Toyota is a Japanese company. For the last few years, General motors produced the largest number of cars but Toyota was not for behind. A few month ago Toyota over took GM as the largest company in the manufactures of cars. Now it seems that GM is again getting back its position as world largest automaker.

Reuters reported:

General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) appears to have inched past Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research) in global sales so far this year as U.S. sales at the Japanese carmaker slipped last quarter, but some counts may leave Toyota in pole position.

Toyota, the world's most valuable automaker worth $190 billion -- or nine times as much as GM -- said on Monday its consolidated global sales grew 7 percent in January-September to 7.05 million vehicles.

That was a shade short of GM's 7.06 million vehicles, which marked a 2 percent rise for the same period.

This fighting will continue for some time to come. However, there is one important thing that you should all remember about the rivalry of GM and Toyota. GM may be a big company but it is giving a lot of loss. On the other hand Toyota is getting a lot of profit form its car sales. It shows that the future of auto industry is brighter in Asia than in USA. GM is still largely based in USA and you know that USA is a very expensive for manufacturing. On the other hand, Toyota could spread its business globally very well and it has many factories in different Asian countries where it can make the best use of cheap labor.

Deepika Padukone: Her Story and Her Pictures

Deepika Padukone is a huge celebrity in Bollywood now. The funny thing is that not even one movie of her has hit the screens yet. Her debut movie is Om Shanti Om and it is going to be released on 9 November.

If you want to know her biography then visit this article:

All About Deepika Padukone: Bollywood’s Next Big Actress

Deepika is now considered to be one of the hottest actresses in Bollywood. If you are looking for websites about her pictures then visit these entries:

Deepika Padukone Pictures/Images/Photos (1)

Deepika Padukone Pictures/Images/Photos (2)

Deepika Padukone is the star of tomorrow. But she is getting so much media exposure that I fear she may burn out quickly. She has not done anything yet but she is in the media headlines almost daily.

Honda to Present with Two New Model Cars at the Tokoyo Motor Show

Ahead of the Tokoyo Motor Show which opens 27 October, Honda will show two new model cars for the people. One is based on their CR-Z Concept and another one is PUYO. The word PUYO is found in Japanese language. It is used to express warm and friendliness. Taking safety and environment into consideration Honda made this corner-less shape of the car run by hydrogen fuel cell technology. The four seated car has not steering wheel. Rather a joystick is given in the car of this model. The CR-Z car is a two seated car with a passionate outlook.

Reuters reported:
Honda say the CR-Z aims to explore the potential of a vehicle that is both exciting to drive, and has minimal impact on the environment. The low front of the car is dominated by a large bumper and gaping air intakes, whilst the smooth glass roof and rear of the car have been designed to reduce drag. Other design details include high visibility wing mirrors and LED headlights with fin-shaped sidelights.

Honda is one of the leading automakers in the world. This Japanese brand has immense popularity among the car loving people around the world. Both the cars look stylish and are expected to attract the attention of the people in coming motor show.

Toyota Launched Latest Model of Lexus in South Korea

Toyota has launched its first V8 hybrid sedan Lexus in the South Korean market. The LS600hL is the highest class Lexus model till date. The car ensures the highest level of car safety besides some other additional features. Full-time all-wheel-drive (AWD) and a high-output electric motor have been added to this car. LS600hL is priced at $215,000. Lexus is one of the popular luxury class cars in the world.

Korea Times reported:
``I’m pleased to introduce the LS600hL to our customers here,’’ Toyota President Taizo Chigira said. ``I hope that this flagship sedan of Lexus will be understood and loved more by South Korean customers who have a high level of environmental awareness.’’

No doubt, the highest class Lexus model will create interest among the buyers. It is expected that the car will do business well both in Japan and abroad. Toyota is one of the leading foreign car companies in South Korea. Now, let us see if this Lexus model car can bring sheer success for Toyota

Toyota to Unveil Environment Friendly Japanese Blend of Cars at the Tokoyo Motor Show

Toyota, widely known Japanese car company, has recently unveild some of its new model cars ahead of the Tokoyo Motor Show. The show will include cars from various world famous companies. Tokoyo Motor show will begin from October 27. Toyota is going to show the new model cars in the show as well. Their new model, environment friendly cars are designed on the basis of ancient Japanese art representing its heritage.

Associated Press reported:
A toylike green-and-beige model called Rin has a transparent floor, huge windows, and doors that slide open like Japanese "shoji" screens so its interior appears to blend with its surroundings for what Toyota called a soothing ride.
The I-Real, another model, is Japanese in a different way, boasting the nation's robotics technology.
It looks like a roofless plush armchair that scoots about on wheels, with buttons and controls on the arms. It changes positions, straightening up to move slowly among pedestrians or laying back to travel faster at nearly 20 mph.

Toyota has made a car which was inspired by the structure of a Gorilla. Tetsuya Kaida has compared the cars with tea ceremony and flower arrangement. Japanese Magna animation theme was also used in a new model car. So, it seems that Toyota wants to give a Japanese blend of cars to the world. It is not the right time to say that the new model cars will bring a boom for Toyota, but the new model cars will bring out huge interest among the car loving people.

Chevrolet Becomes Most Popular Foreign Car Brand in Russia

Chevrolet, the largest selling brand of General Motors, is now the most popular foreign brand of car in Russia. From January to September 2007, Chevrolet sold 1,137,238 cars being the top selling brand among the foreign car companies. The amount of 1,137,238 includes the sales of GM-AvtoVAZ venture. Ford and Toyota secure the second and third place in terms of sales in the first nine months of this year.

Foreign car companies have seen a huge success in this year so far with 63% rise in car sales compared to the last year. The probable reasons behind the success of foreign car companies are the increase of income of the buyers and the growth of sales volume in various regions besides Moscow and St Petersburg.

Russia IC reported:
The booming demand for foreign cars resulted in construction of new car-making plants or remodeling old plant facilities by foreign companies. General Motors is planning 2.5 increase of capacity of its plant, which is being built under St Petersburg, up to 100 thousands automobiles per year. However, the head of GM Europe is not sure it will satisfy the Russian market.

It is natural that foreign companies will try their best to grab the ever increasing Russian market. Russian market seems to be potential for the foreign car companies. So, the companies are interested to set up plants in Russia considering the potential Russian market.

Toyota to Build Logistic Management Company in China

World famous Motor Company, Toyota has started a logistic management company in China along with two Chinese partners. In order to increase the production in China, Toyota has made this move under the contract with China's First Automotive Works Group and Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group. China has already invested US$5 million in order to build Tong Fang Global Logistics Co Ltd (TFGL) in Tianjin.

Toyota has got huge success in Chinese market. So, Toyota officials are now trying to make the best use of Chinese market. Cheap labor is one of the advantages of China. So, Toyota seems to increase its production in China.

Source:

China Knowledge

Toyota Astra Motor Experiences 2.6 Percent Rise in September

PT Toyota Astra Motor (TAM) has recorded 2.6 percent up in their car selling in September compared to the last year. PT Toyota Astra Motor is the largest car dealer in Indonesia. The company has joint venture with the widely recognized motor company Toyota. TAM sold 13,731 vehicles in September, 1.8 percent rise from August. However, the company’s industry wide sales has fallen down slightly.

Forbes reported:
TAM said its market share improved slightly to 33.5 percent in September from 32.5 percent in August, as industrywide sales fell to 41,035 from 41,471 in August.
TAM is a 51-49 pct joint venture between PT Astra International and Toyota Motor Corp.
It seems that the company has been successful so far in the year. In the first nine months

TAM sold 109,242 which is 34.3 percent of the industry wide sales in Indonesia. Now, let us see if PT Toyota Astra Motor can continue its success in the last quarter of the month.

Toyota Facing Problems in Domestic Sales but Steady in Global Market

Toyota, the Japan based motor company, has recently made a cut to its yearly selling goal of 1.72 million cars. With the last quarter of the year to go, it was earlier reported that the company was thinking that the upcoming quarter would fill up the early loses of Toyota. However, Katsuaki Watanabe, the president of Toyota Motor Corporation, recently declared their new goal of 1.65 millions for 2007. The overnight increase of dollars against yen contributed much in this cut to yearly target.

Reuters reported:

Shares in Toyota hit a day's low of 6,720 yen on the news, down 1.6 percent, before ending at 6,760 yen, or 1 percent lower. Most other carmakers gained on the dollar's overnight rise against the yen.
Toyota's sales in Japan have been sliding along with the rest of the market, where many consumers have shifted to 660cc minivehicles. Excluding that segment, Japan's car market shrank 9.5 percent in September, the 27th straight month of decline from a year earlier.

However, Toyota is not facing such problem in their global sales. The company is still determined to achieve its global sales goal of 8.4 million vehicles. Toyota is getting much success in Middle East, China and Russia in terms of its sales. So, Toyota seems to be successful by the end of this year.

Gentra X Coming from GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co.

GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. is active in the Korean market. The website of the company is: http://www.gmdaewoo.co.kr/kor/index.jsp

I came across a news in Korea Times that GM Daewoo Launches Gentra X. GM Daewoo has a long tradition as a company but in the recent years, the ride was not so smooth. Gentra X looks fashionable too. I liked the design and also the color.

“With the Gentra sedan, we proved that GM Daewoo could offer much more than one would expect of a conventional small car,”- this what GM Daewoo President and CEO Michael Grimaldi felt about this car. Gentra X will cost a little more than $9000.

The car looked nice to me. Now, let us see if Gentra X can improve the fortune of GM Daewoo.

What do you think?