Toyota to Decrease Japanese Production Capacity 20% by 2015

Toyota is planning to cut Japanese production over the next five years by approximately 700,000 units (from 3.9 to 3.2 million) or close to 20% and move it into countries that would provide significantly cheaper labor, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The Japanese automaker will begin by closing down a production line at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Japan, where it is based, from the current fiscal quarter through the second half of calendar year 2011. The report says that this move will trim down the firm's domestic output by approximately 220,000 vehicles."


The longer-term plan is for Toyota's Japanese production to concentrate on concept vehicles that will spearhead the manufacturer's low-cost, high-tech future strategy (like the hydrogen fuel cell cars they want to have on the market soon).

By Phil Alex

Via: Bloomberg/BW

Subaru to Launch New Impreza WRX STI Sedan and Impreza XV in Japan

Following on from the world premiere of the four-door sedan version of the 2011 Impreza WRX STI at the New York Auto Show in April and the Impreza XV crossover at the Geneva Motor Show in March, Subaru has confirmed that both cars will be offered in Japan with sales set to begin this June.

The Japanese automaker did not release any more details on the JDM-spec Imprezas, but we suspect that the WRX STI sedan will get the same 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer engine as the Japanese-market five-door hatchback model, while the XV appears to have no visible differences with the Euro-spec version.

Another Pointless 90th Anniversary Special from Mazda: New Biante 20S NAVI

This year marks the 90th anniversary of Mazda, and to celebrate, the Japanese automaker is building all sorts of (supposedly) special edition cars for its home market. The latest commemorative model is the JDM-only Biante 20S Navi Special that goes on sale today in a limited run of 400 units.

But like most of Mazda's Japanese-market 90th anniversary models, there's nothing really special about this version of the eight-seater minivan. In fact, the only difference between the standard 20S and the 90th 20S Navi is that the latter gets a voice-controlled HDD navigation system, parking assist, and Mazda's start and stop system as standard.

The new Bianti 20S Navi Special is offered in Japan as a FWD model with a 2.0-liter DISI engine linked to a 5-speed auto (2,572,500 Yen) or a 4WD version with the same engine but a 4-speed auto (2,861,500 Yen).

Electric Throwback: The Meguru Bamboo Trike

Found on Japan Trends, this is the brainchild of Kinki Knives Industry Corp. and the Yodogawa Group. Called the Meguru, it's a little electric trike with an iron body painted in a retro shade of lacquer.

That's appropriate, considering its target market: scenic, traditional towns and cities. It's like a little city runabout you'd see in an early Bond movie. It even has bamboo floors and those awesome fan doors.

After a two hour charge the little buggy will cover 40 km, with a claimed top speed of 40 km/h. If marketed correctly, this could really take off. Really, who wouldn't want to take a touristy ride around Kamakura or Kyoto in this?

If any city tourism officials decide to invest in these, they won't have to wait long. The Meguru is street legal, so it's ready to go.

By Phil Alex

Via: Japantrends

Rumors: Next Infiniti M and G May Share Platform with Mercedes E-Class

There has been a lot of talk lately about the recently inked strategic cooperation between Daimler AG and the Renault-Nissan Alliance. And we're not referring to the official agreements on the development of a new rear-wheel drive platform for small cars and the swapping of diesel and petrol engines between the two groups.

Leaving aside recent rumors of a small Infiniti CUV based on the next generation of Mercedes' A / B Class, Japan's Best Car magazine is now reporting in its latest issue that the Infiniti M and G replacements (Nissan Fuga and Skyline in Japan) will share a common architecture with the Mercedes E-Class.

Even though there's no official confirmation, the prospective move makes sense not only because Mercedes-Benz has already agreed to give Infiniti a range of four- and six-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines for its future models, but also because of the broader savings in vehicle development costs for both automakers.

Source: Best Car

Japan's 3D Design Kits-Up the BMW Z4 Roadster

Japanese tuner 3D Design has come out with some new aero bits for owners of the E89 Z4 (that's the latest one with the retractable hard top).On the show car here you'll see the new urethane front lip and trunk spoilers and a diffuser made out of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP).

Going by exchange rates as of this typing, the price breakdown is as follows: $956 (¥86,100) for the front lip spoiler, $805 (¥72,450) for the trunk spoiler, and $1,260 (¥113,400) for the diffuser.

If you want your E89 to stand out in a crowd, these might be worth a look. As for yours truly, I'm enough of a Z4 fan to really worry about $1,000 lip spoilers.

By Phil Alex

Link: 3D Design

Mazda Introduces 4WD GS4 Model to JDM Carol Range

Mazda is enhancing its Carol range of micro-minis in Japan with a new four-wheel drive model called the GS4. The new version of the Carol, which is more or less a JDM Suzuki Alto with Mazda's badges and five-point lower grille, is powered by a tiny 660cc three-cylinder engine matted to a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

The new grade also adds several equipment features such as keyless entry & keyless push button start system, an immobilizer, split folding rear seats, heated door mirrors and driver seat.

The Mazda Carol GS4 AWD is on sale now in Japan with prices starting from 1,120,350 Yen, which comes to around €9,500 or US$12,000 at today's exchange rates.

Rumor of the Day: Toyota Planning Baby FT-86 RWD Coupe

We'll take this one with a grain of salt, but let's take it nonetheless. The folks over at Road & Track are claiming that Toyota is working on a new rear-wheel drive sports coupe that will be less pricey but smaller in size and with a much less powerful engine compared to the production version of the forthcoming FT-86 RWD coupe.

Question 1: Why? According to the report, the mounting development costs of the FT-86 are pushing the sports car's market price over instead of under $20,000 that Toyota originally aimed at, so the Japanese automaker decided to create a second small RWD coupe priced about $5,000 less.

Question 2: The magazine's source? Unknown, with the author of the article stating the vaguer-than-vague "we hear Toyota is also working on milder sports car" - whatever that means...

The article goes on to say that the small coupe will measure about 150-in. or 3,810 mm in length (FT-86 study: 163.7-in. or 4,160mm) and it will feature a front-engine/rear drive layout with power coming from the company's 3SZ-VE engine, a 1.5-liter four-pot that delivers 109HP.

It is also claimed that this model will make its debut sometime in 2012, which sounds a bit too optimistic, but hey, it's just a rumor...

Any thoughts?

Source: R&T (Via: FT86)

Toyota FT-86 Gallery