Trade News

Toyota will strengthen development of EV technology in China, the automaker said on Monday, as it looks to catch up with increasingly tough domestic competition in the world's largest auto market.

The move is the latest from the world's top-selling carmaker to show a sharper pivot to EVs. It recently detailed an ambitious new EV strategy that includes an overhaul of its supply chain and the development of long-range batteries.

China was once regarded by foreign automakers as an opportunity for almost boundless growth. Now they worry about diminishing market share thanks to the fast rise of local competitors and cut-throat prices.

Toyota is to accelerate powertrain development with suppliers Denso and Aisin as well as local design and development of "smart cockpits" that meet the needs of the Chinese market, it said in a statement.

It said it would strengthen development of its full suite of electrified cars, not just battery-powered on…

MILAN -- Lamborghini could sell 10,000 cars this year for the first time, its CEO said, as the luxury sports carmaker reported a rise in profit and revenues for the first half.

The Italian brand, a subsidiary of Germany's Volkswagen Group, sold 5,341 cars between January and June, up 4.9 percent on the same period last year. The United States was its largest single market, with 1,625 deliveries.

Chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann said it was not easy to make forecasts due to market uncertainties, including with raw materials, but added that selling 10,000 cars this year was a "feasible goal."

"It is not something we are obliged to achieve, but it's important to show what the health of the company is and how big (clients') willingness to buy our cars is," Winkelmann said.

Supported by the success of its Urus SUV, costing about 200,000 euros ($219,900) before tax, Lamborghini has in recent years expanded its output, relying on solid demand from we…

AMSTERDAM -- A burning car carrier off the Dutch coast is being towed to a new location away from shipping routes as part of a difficult operation to salvage the ship, the Dutch water board Rijkswaterstaat and media said.

The ship will be towed to a location 16 km north of the Dutch islands Ameland and Schiermonnikoog, Rijkswaterstaat said in a statement on Sunday.

The towing operation began on Sunday and it was not known when the ship, which was travelling from Germany to Egypt when the fire broke out, will arrive at its temporary destination, the board said, adding it depended on weather conditions, smoke development on the carrier, current and tide.

The fire on the Panamanian-registered Fremantle Highway, which was carrying new cars, resulted in the death of an Indian crew member and injury of seven who jumped overboard to escape the flames. Japan's Shoei Kisen, which owns the ship, said the entire crew of 21 was Indian.

A Rijkswaterstaat spo…

Long touted as the fuel of the future but not of the present, the age of hydrogen may be about to start.

Billions of dollars in federal subsidies are part of a massive industrial policy pushing the energy source. The U.S. Department of Energy is pouring $7 billion into a series of regional hydrogen production hubs to make sure it’s available for transportation and heavy industry. It also plans to subsidize the cost of hydrogen when produced with green technologies.

Automotive News’ tech and innovation reporting team identifies the challenges and opportunities for hydrogen fuel adoption in autos and adjacent industries. The industry’s vision for a zero-emission future is clear, and there are multiple paths to get there. Policymakers are ensuring that hydrogen will be one of them. See our report.

Always touted as the fuel of the future but never the present, the age of hydrogen is about to start.

Billions of dollars of federal subsidies are part of a massive industrial policy pushing the energy source. The Department of Energy is pouring $7 billion into a series of regional hydrogen production hubs to make sure that it's available for transportation and heavy industry. It also plans to subsidize the price of hydrogen when produced with green technologies.

By subsidizing the production of clean hydrogen, the government is encouraging its use by the steel, cement, iron, ammonia, petrochemical and specialty-fuel industries.

But policymakers need to make sure the methods used to produce hydrogen are clean. Nearly all the hydrogen currently produced in the U.S. requires carbon-emitting energy sources.

Automakers have spent years developing hydrogen fuel cell passenger cars only to discover there's almost no consumer interest. New-car buyers loo…

Industrial policy makes hydrogen the hot energy source

Always touted as the fuel of the future but never the present, the age of hydrogen is about to start.

Billions of dollars of federal subsidies are part of a massive industrial policy pushing the energy source. The Department of Energy is pouring $7 billion into a series of regional hydrogen production hubs to make sure that it's available for transportation and heavy industry. It also plans to subsidize the price of hydrogen when produced with green technologies.

By subsidizing the production of clean hydrogen, the government is encouraging its use by the steel, cement, iron, ammonia, petrochemical and specialty-fuel industries.

But policymakers need to make sure the methods used to produce hydrogen are clean. Nearly all the hydrogen currently produced in the U.S. requires carbon-emitting energy sources.

Automakers have spent years developing hydrogen fuel cell passenger cars only to …

The executive director of GM’s hydrogen fuel cell business highlights the automaker’s history with fuel cells, explains when to use fuel cells vs. electric vehicle batteries and shares how GM is taking the tech to other industries. The episode is part of an Automotive News project on hydrogen technology.

How do I subscribe?

Apple Podcasts: “Shift: A podcast about mobility” is available on the iTunes Store and through the ‘Podcast’ app pre-installed on all iOS devices. Click here to subscribe.

Spotify: "Shift: A podcast about mobility" can be streamed through Spotify on your desktop, tablet or mobile device. Click here to subscribe.

Google Play: "Shift: A podcast about mobility" is available on Android devices through the Google Play store. Click here to subscribe.

Nissan, an electric vehicle pioneer that has seen its early lead in the segment evaporate, will seek redemption with a fleet of high-performance, smartly designed battery models, including a fastback and lightweight pickup.

Nissan expects zero-emission vehicles to account for more than 40 percent of its U.S. sales by 2030.

To deliver more affordable EVs, the Japanese automaker is developing an integrated powertrain unit that is 10 percent smaller and costs 30 percent less to produce than its current hardware.

But Nissan is off to a sluggish start with its EV comeback in the U.S.

The heavily hyped Ariya electric crossover arrived in late 2022 — about a year behind schedule. Manufacturing problems this spring had Ariya production reportedly running at least a third below plan. Meanwhile, the Japan-made EV has been iced out of the $7,500 U.S. federal tax credit for EV purchases that is available to some U.S.-built competitors. In the first six mont…

WASHINGTON — Consumers will continue have a choice between electric and combustion powertrains for the next several years, but Audi's global head of marketing and sales says automakers need much more "edutainment" to salve consumer apprehension about electric vehicles.

Hildegard Wortmann visited the U.S. this month as part of the German premium brand co-hosting the Major League Soccer All-Star Game against Premier League champion Arsenal at the Audi Field stadium in Washington, D.C. Wortmann said automakers shouldn't be "dogmatic" when marketing EV, but they need to educate consumers about their benefits while entertaining them and easing their concerns.

"I want the customers to be aware that there is a choice and that they can go for an electric car, and that this electric car does offer 300 miles, does offer fast charging, which I think is more important than actually the range," Wortmann told Automotive News here. But, she said, automakers ne…

If the world is indeed throwing an electric vehicle party, it's pretty clear by now that someone forgot to invite most of Japan.

While Nissan pioneered the segment with the Leaf and Toyota had a short-lived dalliance with Tesla almost a decade ago, most of the largest Japanese brands find themselves lagging behind in the rapidly growing EV race.

And they seem armed with last-minute offerings that look less than competitive against more advanced EVs on sale from Europe, the U.S. and their competitors elsewhere in Asia.

But if this industry has learned anything over the last half a century, it is this: Japan's largest automakers and their tagalong premium brands rarely stay behind for long in any automotive technology competition.

Toyota and Lexus, Nissan and Infiniti, and Honda and Acura have all laid out strategies to greatly expand their EV offerings and promise dramatic range advances if solid-state battery technology becomes commercially viab…