Toyota

TOKYO: Toyota Motor Corp said on Wednesday it planned to recall around 1.03 million vehicles, including its gasoline-hybrid Prius model, in Japan, North America, Europe and other regions due to an issue with the engine wire harness which can pose a fire risk. Following a domestic recall announcement by Japan’s transport ministry, Toyota said that in affected vehicles, the wire harness which connects to the hybrid power control unit can come into contact with the covering at the connection point. If dust accumulates on…

WASHINGTON: Toyota Motor Corp will invest $500 million in Uber Technologies to jointly work on developing self-driving cars, the companies said on Monday, a bid by both to catch up to rivals in the hotly competitive autonomous driving business. Toyota, one of the world’s largest carmakers, and Uber, the leading ride-hailing service, are widely seen as lagging the competition in developing self-driving cars. Their deal deepens an existing relationship and reflects CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s strategy of Uber developing…

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON: Big companies in the United States from Amazon.com Inc to Toyota Motor Corp and Alcoa Corp are working to counter the effect of the Trump administration’s trade policies and to head off new tariffs. Companies are attempting to avoid any confrontation with U.S. President Donald Trump but want to exert as much influence as they can to dissuade him from tearing up trade agreements or introducing tariffs on a wide swath of imports. Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer and…

WASHINGTON: Two major auto trade groups on Wednesday warned the Trump administration that imposing up to 25 percent tariffs on imported vehicles would cost hundreds of thousands of auto jobs, dramatically hike prices on vehicles and threaten industry spending on self-driving cars. A coalition representing major foreign automakers including Toyota Motor, Volkswagen, BMW, and Hyundai Motor, said the tariffs would harm automakers and U.S. consumers. The administration in May launched an investigation into whether imported…

SINGAPORE: Toyota said Wednesday it was investing $1 billion in Asia ride-share company Grab, as the Japanese automaker looks to expand beyond its core business into the "mobility" sector. Grab, which is headquartered in Singapore, is a leading player in the ride-share industry in Asia, and earlier this year agreed to acquire US giant Uber's regional operations. In a statement, Toyota said the deal "is aimed at achieving connectivity for Grab's rental car fleet across Southeast Asia, and at rolling out various…

Toyota Motor plans to start selling U.S. vehicles that can talk to each other using short-range wireless technology in 2021.

LAS VEGAS: Toyota has launched a new mobility service business alliance and e-Palette Concept Vehicle designed to meet the demands of future multi-mode transportation and business applications. Unveiled at CES, the new e-Palette Alliance will leverage Toyota's proprietary Mobility Services Platform (MSPF) to develop a suite of connected mobility solutions and a flexible, purpose-built vehicle. The new alliance will create a broad-based ecosystem of hardware and software support designed to help a range of companies…

TOKYO: Toyota's former president Tatsuro Toyoda, who helped the Japanese auto giant establish a foothold in North America, has died at the age of 88, the company said Saturday. Toyoda, an uncle of current Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, died of pneumonia on December 30, the firm said in a statement. His funeral has already been held and was attended by close relatives, but company said it plans to hold a separate farewell ceremony. Toyoda joined the company -- founded by his father Kiichiro Toyoda -- in 1953 and in 1984…

TOKYO: Toyota Motor Corp on Monday said it would begin testing self-driving electric cars around 2020, which will use artificial intelligence (AI) to engage with drivers, as the company competes with tech firms to develop new vehicles. The car, whose concept model was unveiled earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, will be able to converse with drivers, while building up knowledge of users’ preferences, habits and emotions through deep learning, the company said. “By using AI technology, we…

MELBOURNE: The last Australian-made Toyota rolled off the production line on Tuesday, ending over five decades of manufacturing by the Japanese firm as the once-booming local car-making industry grinds to a halt. Toyota announced in 2014 that it would stop making vehicles at its unprofitable Australian plants, joining the country's other two large automakers -- Ford and US giant General Motors' Holden offshoot. Ford closed its production line last year and Holden will shutter its only remaining car factory in Adelaide…