Wheels: Toyota to Recall 803,000 Vehicles for Air Bag Problem

Wheels Blog: Nissan and Toyota Issue Recalls for About 1.5 Million Vehicles Worldwide

Wheels: Toyota to Recall 235,000 Vehicles Over Stalling Problem

Toyota Shows Off Fuel-Cell Automobile

Toyota, maker of the Prius, the first hybrid vehicle to achieve mass-market acceptance, on Wednesday unveiled a concept version of a hydrogen fuel-cell car that it plans to begin selling “around 2015,” as the company put it. The bright blue sedan is shaped like a drop of water to emphasize that water is the only substance that hydrogen-powered cars emit from their tailpipes.

The car, which Toyota calls the FCV concept, was one of several vehicles with alternative powertrains to take the spotlight at the Tokyo Motor Show, which opened to reporters on Wednesday. Later in the day, two other carmakers, Honda and Hyundai, were expected to display new fuel-cell vehicles at a preview for the auto show in Los Angeles.

Honda was set to introduce a concept version of a new car it plans to introduce in 2015. Hyundai, which is based in South Korea, says it intended to beat both of its Japanese rivals to market next year with a hydrogen-powered vehicle based on its Tucson sport utility vehicle.

In July, Honda and General Motors announced that they agreed to share fuel-cell technology.

For years, automakers have talked about the potential of hydrogen power to help them reduce harmful greenhouse gas pollution and meet strict emissions standards in places like California. But there is a joke in the industry that “fuel-cell technology is always five years down the road,” said Alan Baum of Baum & Associates, an auto industry analyst in West Bloomfield, Mich.

Fuel-cell cars, which create the electricity that powers them by combining hydrogen with the oxygen in the atmosphere, have been held back by a variety of factors, including the high cost and a dearth of hydrogen filling stations. Although a handful of fuel-cell test cars and fleet vehicles are on the road, the new models from Honda, Hyundai and Toyota are expected to be among the first hydrogen-powered cars available to the public.

“Everybody has been putting their toe in the water, but Toyota putting its toe in the water is a bit more significant,” Mr. Baum said.

Toyota executives noted that hybrid technology faced considerable skepticism until the Prius was introduced in 1997 in Japan and in 2000 in the United States, where it quickly became a must-have accessory for Hollywood stars and Internet entrepreneurs. Now that Toyota, the biggest carmaker in the world, is signaling its commitment to fuel-cell technology, the infrastructure will follow, they hope.

“One of the reasons we are doing this is to send a message,” said Satoshi Ogiso, deputy chief officer in Toyota’s product planning group.

Fuel-cell cars will give greater choice to consumers who are seeking engines that are easier on the environment, creating a potential rivalry with battery-powered electric vehicles. Despite the popularity of electric cars from Tesla Motors in California, fully electric cars remain a niche market. Through October, 78,000 were sold in the United States, according to Baum & Associates, compared with 423,000 hybrids. Only about 1,000 fuel cell cars are expected to be sold worldwide in 2015, according to Navigant Research, which provides market analysis for so-called clean technology.

Toyota has not provided estimates of sales for its fuel-cell car, though executives acknowledge privately that the numbers will be modest to start and that sales will be concentrated in places like California and Scandinavia, where emissions targets are strictest. Toyota, while embracing hybrid powertrains, has favored fuel-cell technology over fully electric cars, saying the experience of driving them is more like what consumers are used to with gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles. The company says its new car will be able to cover about 500 kilometers, or 310 miles, on a single hydrogen fill-up that takes just a few minutes. Fully electric vehicles require lengthy recharging time.

Other carmakers are hedging their bets. Although many of the big players have fuel-cell projects underway, either alone or with partners, some also continue to promote electric vehicles. Battery recharging stations are more widespread than hydrogen filling stations.

And fuel cells are not as clean as they might seem, detractors say, because the production of hydrogen releases greenhouse gases. But then, most electricity generation also uses carbon-based fuels.

“It’s still difficult to choose a winner at this point, which is why the automakers are diversifying their portfolios,” said Thilo Koslowski, an analyst at Gartner, a research company.

At the Tokyo show, another Japanese automaker, Nissan, displayed an electric concept car called BladeGlider, which looks like a cross between a Batmobile and a stealth fighter. It has a single seat in front for the driver and two in back, and the doors open at a rakish, upward-slanting angle.

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s chief executive, said car designers had greater styling freedom with electric cars, because the motors are smaller. In the BladeGlider, they are built into the rear wheels, allowing the front end, which houses the motor in most conventional cars, to taper to a point.

“We are promoting electric cars because we believe in the potential of electric cars,” Mr. Ghosn said.

Toyota executives say the FCV concept is close in appearance to the expected production version of the car. It has a large grille and other openings to allow cooling air and oxygen.

The company has not announced a price, but Mr. Ogiso said the car would be aimed at a niche of environmentally conscious, early adopting and relatively affluent customers — much like Toyota’s pioneering hybrid car.

“We have learned a lot from Prius,” Mr. Ogiso said.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: November 22, 2013

An earlier version of this article provided an incorrect time frame for sales figures from Baum & Associates. The data, relating to sales of hybrid and electric cars in the United States, are for the year 2013 through October, not September.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: November 23, 2013

A picture caption on Thursday with an article about Toyota’s hydrogen-powered FCV concept car misstated the power source of a rival’s concept car, the Nissan BladeGlider EV. The BladeGlider is a battery-powered electric car; it is not powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.

Après Daimler, Toyota refuse un liquide de refroidissement imposé en Europe

Le Monde | 24.08.2013 à 12h00 • Mis ? jour le 26.08.2013 à 08h53 | Par C?cile Boutelet

Toyota a d?clar? avoir r?alis? des tests sur le nouveau r?frig?rant, qu'il a jug? conforme aux exigences de s?curit?. Mais, en raison de la m?fiance croissante de l'opinion publique autour du produit depuis le d?clenchement de l'affaire, le constructeur japonais a d?cid? "temporairement" de revenir ? l'ancien fluide pour ses v?hicules vendus en Europe, a-t-il indiqu? dans un communiqu?.

Trois mod?les sont concern?s : la Prius Plus, la Lexus GS et le coup? sportif GT86. Pour l'homologation, Toyota profite d'une exception de la directive europ?enne, qui offre aux constructeurs une phase d'adaptation jusqu'en 2016 pour les mod?les d?j? existants ou leurs variations. Cette d?rogation est utilis?e par la plupart des constructeurs allemands.

Un porte-parole de Toyota Allemagne a indiqu? que le groupe n'a pas encore d?cid? combien de temps il ?quiperait ces v?hicules avec l'ancien fluide. Tout d?pend des r?sultats d'un nouvel examen du KBA, le contr?le technique allemand, qui sera rendu mi-septembre. La pr?c?dente ?tude avait ?valu? le produit comme "s?r", mais "pas inoffensif".

LE BLOCAGE DE LA FRANCE

C'est le deuxi?me grand constructeur ? remettre en question la directive europ?enne en vigueur depuis le 1er janvier, qui a rendu l'utilisation du fluide obligatoire pour l'homologation des v?hicules en circulation sur le Vieux Continent, le jugeant plus respectueux de l'environnement.

La d?cision du constructeur japonais vient conforter Daimler. Jusqu'ici, le constructeur allemand ?tait le seul ? refuser d'int?grer le nouveau fluide dans les syst?mes de climatisation de ses nouveaux mod?les Mercedes Classe A, B et SL. Accusant le produit d'?tre inflammable et toxique lors de la combustion, Daimler continue de lui pr?f?rer l'ancien liquide R134a, consid?r? comme plus s?r mais d?sormais interdit.

En r?action, la France a fait bloquer la commercialisation de ces mod?les depuis le 12 juin. Le conflit s'est envenim? le 17 juillet, lorsque les Etats membres de l'Union europ?enne ont recommand? d'interdire dans l'Union la vente des mod?les de la marque ? l'?toile non ?quip?s du gaz. Jusqu'ici, seule la France a mis ces menaces ? ex?cution.

Mais Daimler n'entend pas se laisser faire : vendredi 23 ao?t a eu lieu une premi?re audience devant le Conseil d'Etat ? la suite du recours en r?f?r? d?pos? par le constructeur contre la d?cision des autorit?s fran?aises de poursuivre le blocage des immatriculations des v?hicules concern?s.

Pour Daimler, les enjeux sont importants : au 5 juillet, 4 518 v?hicules, dont 2 704 ont d?j? ?t? vendus, ?taient concern?s par le blocage. Certains concessionnaires seraient en difficult? financi?re de ce fait. Le Conseil doit rendre sa d?cision mardi 27 ao?t.

Kia, Toyota and Porsche Issue Recalls

Kia will recall nearly 80,000 Sedona minivans from the 2006-12 model years because of a problem that could cause steering failure, the automaker informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Toyota and Porsche will also conduct smaller recalls, according to reports the two companies filed with the agency.

In the report Kia posted on the agency’s website, the automaker said the front control arms could rust and possibly break, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Kia said it was not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the problem, but several owners who filed complaints with N.H.T.S.A. said they lost control of their vehicles when a control arm failed.

“Vehicle quickly became unsteerable,” one owner wrote in a complaint filed on Nov. 20. “If this sudden failure had occurred moments earlier with my kids on the way to school and on the highway this could have been a much worse result.”

The recall covers vehicles originally sold or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

The action, called a geographic recall, affects only certain states where the problem is thought most likely to occur. Consumer groups like the Center for Auto Safety have long criticized the practice, saying vehicles that need to be repaired may be missed as automakers save money by not having to issue a nationwide recall. The practice is approved by N.H.T.S.A., which – along with automakers – has defended it as practical and effective.

A Kia spokesman did not immediately respond when asked whether Kia would help owners in other states who were worried.

In other actions:

¦?N.H.T.S.A. is investigating a report of a bracket failure that allowed a compressed natural gas container to be dragged behind a 2012 Ford F-550 transit bus in which it had been mounted, according to the agency report.

The agency said the company that owns the bus said the tank was dragged behind it, attached only by two fuel hoses. “The driver reportedly observed sparks in both side mirrors as the fuel container was being dragged along the pavement,” the report said.

¦?Toyota will recall about 9,800 vehicles because an electric short can cause the windshield wiper motor to fail, according to the report filed by the automaker. The vehicles affected by the recall are the 2013-14 Camry and Camry Hybrid; the 2013-14 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid and the 2014 Corolla.

¦?Porsche will recall 207 Cayennes from the 2014 model year, including the diesel and hybrid models, because the fuel sensor may read high, according to a report filed by the automaker.

Porsche will also recall 81 of its 2014 Boxster, Cayman and 911 models because of a defective wiring harness in the passenger seat that can keep the air bag from deploying in a crash, according to the report filed by the automaker.

Toyota Shows Off Fuel-Cell Automobile

Toyota, maker of the Prius, the first hybrid vehicle to achieve mass-market acceptance, on Wednesday unveiled a concept version of a hydrogen fuel-cell car that it plans to begin selling “around 2015,” as the company put it. The bright blue sedan is shaped like a drop of water to emphasize that water is the only substance that hydrogen-powered cars emit from their tailpipes.

The car, which Toyota calls the FCV concept, was one of several vehicles with alternative powertrains to take the spotlight at the Tokyo Motor Show, which opened to reporters on Wednesday. Later in the day, two other carmakers, Honda and Hyundai, were expected to display new fuel-cell vehicles at a preview for the auto show in Los Angeles.

Honda was set to introduce a concept version of a new car it plans to introduce in 2015. Hyundai, which is based in South Korea, says it intended to beat both of its Japanese rivals to market next year with a hydrogen-powered vehicle based on its Tucson sport utility vehicle.

In July, Honda and General Motors announced that they agreed to share fuel-cell technology.

For years, automakers have talked about the potential of hydrogen power to help them reduce harmful greenhouse gas pollution and meet strict emissions standards in places like California. But there is a joke in the industry that “fuel-cell technology is always five years down the road,” said Alan Baum of Baum & Associates, an auto industry analyst in West Bloomfield, Mich.

Fuel-cell cars, which create the electricity that powers them by combining hydrogen with the oxygen in the atmosphere, have been held back by a variety of factors, including the high cost and a dearth of hydrogen filling stations. Although a handful of fuel-cell test cars and fleet vehicles are on the road, the new models from Honda, Hyundai and Toyota are expected to be among the first hydrogen-powered cars available to the public.

“Everybody has been putting their toe in the water, but Toyota putting its toe in the water is a bit more significant,” Mr. Baum said.

Toyota executives noted that hybrid technology faced considerable skepticism until the Prius was introduced in 1997 in Japan and in 2000 in the United States, where it quickly became a must-have accessory for Hollywood stars and Internet entrepreneurs. Now that Toyota, the biggest carmaker in the world, is signaling its commitment to fuel-cell technology, the infrastructure will follow, they hope.

“One of the reasons we are doing this is to send a message,” said Satoshi Ogiso, deputy chief officer in Toyota’s product planning group.

Fuel-cell cars will give greater choice to consumers who are seeking engines that are easier on the environment, creating a potential rivalry with battery-powered electric vehicles. Despite the popularity of electric cars from Tesla Motors in California, fully electric cars remain a niche market. Through September, 78,000 were sold in the United States, according to Baum & Associates, compared with 423,000 hybrids. Only about 1,000 fuel cell cars are expected to be sold worldwide in 2015, according to Navigant Research, which provides market analysis for so-called clean technology.

Toyota has not provided estimates of sales for its fuel-cell car, though executives acknowledge privately that the numbers will be modest to start and that sales will be concentrated in places like California and Scandinavia, where emissions targets are strictest. Toyota, while embracing hybrid powertrains, has favored fuel-cell technology over fully electric cars, saying the experience of driving them is more like what consumers are used to with gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles. The company says its new car will be able to cover about 500 kilometers, or 310 miles, on a single hydrogen fill-up that takes just a few minutes. Fully electric vehicles require lengthy recharging time.

Other carmakers are hedging their bets. Although many of the big players have fuel-cell projects underway, either alone or with partners, some also continue to promote electric vehicles. Battery recharging stations are more widespread than hydrogen filling stations.

And fuel cells are not as clean as they might seem, detractors say, because the production of hydrogen releases greenhouse gases. But then, most electricity generation also uses carbon-based fuels.

“It’s still difficult to choose a winner at this point, which is why the automakers are diversifying their portfolios,” said Thilo Koslowski, an analyst at Gartner, a research company.

At the Tokyo show, another Japanese automaker, Nissan, displayed an electric concept car called BladeGlider, which looks like a cross between a Batmobile and a stealth fighter. It has a single seat in front for the driver and two in back, and the doors open at a rakish, upward-slanting angle.

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s chief executive, said car designers had greater styling freedom with electric cars, because the motors are smaller. In the BladeGlider, they are built into the rear wheels, allowing the front end, which houses the motor in most conventional cars, to taper to a point.

“We are promoting electric cars because we believe in the potential of electric cars,” Mr. Ghosn said.

Toyota executives say the FCV concept is close in appearance to the expected production version of the car. It has a large grille and other openings to allow cooling air and oxygen.

The company has not announced a price, but Mr. Ogiso said the car would be aimed at a niche of environmentally conscious, early adopting and relatively affluent customers — much like Toyota’s pioneering hybrid car.

“We have learned a lot from Prius,” Mr. Ogiso said.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: November 21, 2013

An earlier version of a picture caption with this article misstated the power source of the BladeGlider EV concept car. It is a battery-powered electric car; it is not powered by hydrogen.

Kia, Toyota and Porsche Issue Recalls

Kia will recall nearly 80,000 Sedona minivans from the 2006-12 model years because of a problem that could cause steering failure, the automaker informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Toyota and Porsche will also conduct smaller recalls, according to reports the two companies filed with the agency.

In the report Kia posted on the agency’s website, the automaker said the front control arms could rust and possibly break, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Kia said it was not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the problem, but several owners who filed complaints with N.H.T.S.A. said they lost control of their vehicles when a control arm failed.

“Vehicle quickly became unsteerable,” one owner wrote in a complaint filed on Nov. 20. “If this sudden failure had occurred moments earlier with my kids on the way to school and on the highway this could have been a much worse result.”

The recall covers vehicles originally sold or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

The action, called a geographic recall, affects only certain states where the problem is thought most likely to occur. Consumer groups like the Center for Auto Safety have long criticized the practice, saying vehicles that need to be repaired may be missed as automakers save money by not having to issue a nationwide recall. The practice is approved by N.H.T.S.A., which – along with automakers – has defended it as practical and effective.

A Kia spokesman did not immediately respond when asked whether Kia would help owners in other states who were worried.

In other actions:

¦?N.H.T.S.A. is investigating a report of a bracket failure that allowed a compressed natural gas container to be dragged behind a 2012 Ford F-550 transit bus in which it had been mounted, according to the agency report.

The agency said the company that owns the bus said the tank was dragged behind it, attached only by two fuel hoses. “The driver reportedly observed sparks in both side mirrors as the fuel container was being dragged along the pavement,” the report said.

¦?Toyota will recall about 9,800 vehicles because an electric short can cause the windshield wiper motor to fail, according to the report filed by the automaker. The vehicles affected by the recall are the 2013-14 Camry and Camry Hybrid; the 2013-14 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid and the 2014 Corolla.

¦?Porsche will recall 207 Cayennes from the 2014 model year, including the diesel and hybrid models, because the fuel sensor may read high, according to a report filed by the automaker.

Porsche will also recall 81 of its 2014 Boxster, Cayman and 911 models because of a defective wiring harness in the passenger seat that can keep the air bag from deploying in a crash, according to the report filed by the automaker.

Wheels: Toyota Recalls 342,000 Tacomas Over Seat Belt Problem

Wheels: Insurance Group Says Toyota Crams for a Test, but the RAV4 Still Fails

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety The insurance organization says the dummy’s position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test of the Toyota RAV4 indicates that the driver’s survival space was not maintained well.

When the results of the new small overlap crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety on 13 compact crossovers and S.U.V.’s were released in May, the group said the new 2013 Toyota RAV4 was missing from the tests because the automaker wanted time to make improvements.

So, according to the insurance group, Toyota made its changes, but in June when the new test was finally conducted, the RAV4 still failed. It got the lowest rating, Poor, in the overlap test.

Toyota had made changes to models built after April to better control the stability of the steering column and to provide extra padding under the footwell carpeting, according to a statement from the insurance group, which is funded by the insurance industry. RAV4s before that date do not have these improvements.

Still, those changes did not do enough to address a combination of poor structure and inadequate control of the test dummy’s movement, resulting in the Poor rating in the overlap test, the group’s newest, most severe frontal crash test.

In the RAV4, the dummy’s left foot “was trapped by crushed and buckled sheet metal in the footwell,” which indicated there was a high risk of injuries to the left lower leg in a crash this severe.
The dummy’s head hit the instrument panel. According to the test details, “the dummy’s head barely contacted the frontal air bag before sliding off the left side as the steering column moved” more than 7 inches to the right, resulting in little air bag cushioning for the chest.

Additionally, the safety belt allowed “excessive” forward movement of the dummy’s head and torso, which contributed to the dummy hitting the instrument panel.

“There is just no good reason that the head should be allowed to get so far forward,” said David Zuby, the group’s chief research officer.

Nonetheless, the group said the RAV4’s overall performance was good.

“The overall safety of the RAV4 is quite high,” as indicated by a Good rating in the institute’s other crash tests and its designation as a Top Safety Pick, Mr. Zuby said. “But we are trying to push crashworthiness even further than what’s represented by today’s Top Safety Pick. And with regard to the small overlap crash test, the RAV4 falls short.”

Toyota refused to confirm that it asked the insurance group to hold off on the small overlap crash test while it made improvements to the RAV4 or to answer questions about what changes it made and why they were unsuccessful.

In an e-mail statement, the company said, “The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (I.I.H.S.) periodically develops new, more severe or specialized tests that go beyond federal requirements. With the small overlap test, the institute has raised the bar again, and we are responding to the challenge. We are looking at a range of solutions to achieve greater crash performance in this area. Although the Toyota RAV4 did not achieve the I.I.H.S. “Top Safety Pick +” (Plus) rating, it remains an I.I.H.S. Top Safety Pick.”

A vehicle can be a Top Safety Pick if it gets a Good rating in the group’s four other crash tests, regardless of how it performs in the small overlap test. To receive the highest distinction of a Top Safety Pick+, the vehicle must receive Good ratings in at least four of the group’s tests and no less than an Acceptable in the fifth.

“The message to consumers is, if you want the very safest vehicles look for a Top Safety Pick+,” Mr. Zuby said. “But you don’t have to really worry if you are driving around in a Top Safety Pick because those vehicles have a very high level of safety. The message to Toyota is, if you want to remain on the I.I.H.S. list of safest cars, you have work to do on the small overlap crash test.”

Mr. Zuby said that despite advances in crash safety, people are still dying and being seriously injured in frontal crashes. And small overlap crashes account for about 25 percent of those fatalities and injuries.

The RAV4 was not the only small crossover to have difficulty with the new test. In May, when the insurance group released the small overlap test results for the other small crossovers, only the Subaru Forester received a rating of Good. The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport earned an Acceptable rating. Six others were rated Marginal, and five were rated Poor.

The small overlap test was designed to replicate what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object like a tree or a utility pole. In the test, 25 percent of a vehicle’s front on the driver’s side strikes a 5-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 miles per hour. Because the edge of the vehicle hits the barrier, it misses the main crush-zone structures in the middle of the vehicle that reduce crash forces on the occupant compartment.

In these impacts, the left front wheel and tire can be forced back into the footwell, resulting in serious, debilitating leg and foot injuries, the group says. Vehicles also tend to rotate and slide sideways. This movement can fling the dummy to the left toward the windshield and front-door pillar. And it can push the steering wheel, which contains the air bag, so far to the right that the air bag offers little protection to the dummy.

Some Toyota and Lexus models had similar problems with structure and restraints in earlier rounds of small overlap tests. The Lexus ES 350 and IS 350/250, and the Toyota Camry and Prius V wagon all received overall ratings of Poor in that test.

Toyota renoue avec ses performances d'avant la crise

(Tokyo, correspondance)

Finis donc les ennuis du pass?. Le constructeur semble avoir tourn? la page des difficult?s que lui ont caus?es le s?isme et le tsunami de mars 2011 ainsi que les inondations en Tha?lande ? l'automne de la m?me ann?e. Sans oublier le rappel de 16,3 millions de v?hicules entre novembre 2009 et f?vrier 2011, et un yen qui avait atteint des niveaux record face au dollar et ? l'euro. Des catastrophes qui avaient co?t? sa place de num?ro un mondial au champion nippon.

"Nous avons fait face ? pas mal de d?fis depuis 2009 mais nous avons appris de tr?s importantes le?ons, notamment le fait que Toyota doit maintenir une croissance durable. Celle-ci se fera gr?ce ? des produits toujours plus performants!" a indiqu? dans un communiqu? Akio Toyoda, pr?sident du groupe fond? par sa famille.

Ce r?sultat, le g?ant de Nagawa - redevenu num?ro un mondial devant l'am?ricain General Motors d?but 2013 - le doit d'abord ? la tr?s bonne sant? du march? am?ricain. Toyota a en effet ?coul? 2,4 millions de v?hicules aux Etats-Unis, se rapprochant de Ford, le num?ro deux local. Et ce gr?ce ? son mod?le Camry, particuli?rement adapt? ? la demande Outre-Atlantique.

Lire Le retour au sommet de Toyota

R?DUCTION DES CO?TS

Sur l'archipel nippon et plus g?n?ralement en Asie, les ventes se sont bien port?es aussi, en d?pit des tensions avec la Chine. Toyota tire, par ailleurs, les b?n?fices d'une politique massive de r?duction des co?ts (le groupe a ?conomis? 450 milliards de yens en 2012). Et d'un cours du yen beaucoup plus favorable sur les six derniers mois. Car ? chaque fois que le dollar vaut un yen de plus, le groupe voit ses profits op?rationnels grimper de 35 milliards de yens.

Ces bonnes performances ont incit? Toyota ? acc?der aux demandes des syndicats lors des traditionnelles n?gociations du printemps : les bonus annuels des salari?s atteindront deux millions de yens (15 400 euros) en moyenne, 15 % de plus qu'en 2012. Ayant d?cid? d'augmenter la production au Japon de 10 % entre avril et septembre, le constructeur pr?voit des embauches d'int?rimaires et travaille sur la possibilit? de maintenir en activit? ? mi-temps ses employ?s retrait?s.

Mais certaines inqui?tudes persistent pour 2013. Toyota n'est pas ? l'abri d'une hausse du yen ou d'une baisse des ventes au Japon. "Toyota les attend d?j? en recul de 18 %", observe Kohei Takahashi, analyste chez JPMorgan Securities Japan.

INTERROGATIONS SUR LES HYBRIDES

Et les tensions diplomatiques persistantes avec la Chine autour des ?les Senkaku/Diaoyu, qui ont fortement affect? l'activit? des industriels nippons d?s l'automne 2012, pourraient lui nuire. Bien que l'h?morragie ait ?t? en partie jugul?e (en avril, les ventes en Chine n'ont recul? "que" de 6,5 % contre 17 % en mars), les prises de position nationalistes du premier ministre japonais Shinzo Abe depuis son arriv?e au pouvoir en d?cembre 2012 compromettent un retour ? la normale. "Nos attentes sur ce march? ?taient une reprise des ventes en six mois, d?clarait le 21 avril Hiroji Onishi, dirigeant de Toyota en Chine, avant l'ouverture du Shanghai Auto Show o? le constructeur pr?sentait 52 mod?les. Mais notre plan aujourd'hui est de progresser apr?s l'arriv?e de nouveaux mod?les ? l'automne."

En Europe, la crise p?se ?galement sur les ventes, m?me si l'activit? reste rentable. Et aux Etats-Unis, note M. Takahashi, "le cycle de renouvellement des mod?les pourrait ne pas suffire pour continuer de progresser".

Les performances des mod?les hybrides suscitent elles aussi quelques interrogations. Car s'ils ont perc? au Japon, c'est avec l'aide du gouvernement qui a subventionn? leur achat jusqu'en septembre 2012 et a ainsi contribu? au succ?s des mod?les Aqua et Prius, les v?hicules les plus vendus dans l'Archipel. Mais l'engouement est moins important en Chine ou en Europe. "La pr?f?rence va encore aux v?hicules ? faible consommation de carburant", fait remarquer un observateur du secteur.

Aux Etats-Unis, la baisse des prix du p?trole se traduit par une relative d?saffection pour les mod?les hybrides. Les ventes de Prius y ont, par exemple, recul? de 20 % au mois d'avril. "Les ventes de v?hicules hybrides au cours de l'exercice 2013 pourraient stagner, voire d?cliner", pr?dit ainsi Kohei Takahashi.

Cela n'emp?che pas certains analystes de voir le constructeur franchir la barre des 2 000 milliards de yens de profits op?rationnels l'an prochain.

La production en France de PSA Peugeot-Citro?n et de Renault s'est effondr?e d'un tiers au premier trimestre. PSA a produit 35,7% de voitures et d'utilitaires l?gers en moins que sur la m?me p?riode de 2012, soit 230337 unit?s, selon des donn?es publi?es, mardi 7mai, par le Comit? des constructeurs fran?ais d'automobiles. Le recul est de 23,7% pour Renault, avec 118060 unit?s assembl?es.
La production a aussi baiss? hors de l'Hexagone. Au total, la production mondiale de PSA abaiss? de 18,8%, ? 712936 unit?s, et celle de Renault de 7,9%, ? 658587 unit?s.

Wheels: The 2014 Toyota Corolla Is Bigger, Braver and Brighter

Toyota Motor Corporation The all-new 2014 Toyota Corolla. 

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — After a wild night filled with bungee cord-suspended gymnasts, women dancing sideways on a wall of aluminum foil and a floating clear-bottomed pool with Argentinian nymphs sliding and squishing inches over the heads of a puzzled, crowd, Toyota on Thursday unveiled its all-new 11th-generation Corolla, the latest iteration of its ubiquitous economical compact.

The car was nice, too — perhaps the debut of a more-courageous, youth-oriented, more-confident Toyota. Fully cognizant that the company had been falling behind its competitors in the affordable-car design wars, Toyota seemed determined to sharpen its image from that of a provider of reliable, affordable and sometimes forgettable machines.

Toyota Motor Corporation No leather trim will be available in the 2014 Toyota Corolla’s interior.

The 2014 Corolla gains about 4 inches in wheelbase, less than an inch in width and has a more-tapered aspect, with the front and rear sections stretched for a more elegant sweep of line and a more aerodynamic shape. The new lines work together well, with the car’s shoulder, trunk and roof lines coming together in a sculptured C-pillar (behind the rear windows) that evokes hints of the Lexus IS250, with just a touch of Camaro. LED low-beam headlights are standard on all models. The LEDs save energy and allow a lower, more tapered front corner for lighter weight, sleeker looks and more-slippery aerodynamics.

The car’s underpinnings are all new, with the wheels pushed farther into its corners for increased interior room, as well as a more athletic stance on the road. More high-strength steel should improve handling and safety performance by creating a stiffer structure, and additional sound-proofing materials in the cowl, dash and fenders will make it easier to hear the Bluetooth Entune sound system.

A new Continuously Variable Transmission (CVTi-S in Toyota-speak), adds a note of fresh technology to the design. Available in all but the lowest base model, the CVTi-S has been programmed with seven discrete virtual shift points, giving the impression of a conventional 7-speed automatic, but with better fuel efficiency. The CVTi-S is a cornerstone of a new-for-2014 LE Eco model, which also features a new 1.8-liter, 140-horsepower engine with Valvematic, a technology that more closely controls intake valve lift and timing. Non-CVTi-S models will offer a choice between a 6-speed manual transmission or the current, conventional 4-speed automatic.

Toyota Motor Corporation The new Corolla features LED lighting.

The LE Eco is designed to receive a 40-mile-per-gallon E.P.A. highway rating, though the actual E.P.A. testing has not yet been completed. Other Toyota models, the L, LE and S, will be powered by the existing 1.8-liter engine, with its current 132 horsepower output.

Inside, the Corolla has been stretched, padded and pulled upscale, with the rear hip point moved back almost three inches. The changes offer improved rear leg room and a flatter rear floor because of rerouting of the exhaust system. Interior trim is tastefully utilitarian, with gloss-black and metallic panels as well as blue, black or amber pinstripe accents. There will be no animals harmed in the Corolla interior: fabric choices are cloth and SofTex, a pleatherlike substance.

With nearly 40 million Corollas sold since the car’s debut in the ’60s, the Corolla is as much a social movement and a vital part of the American carscape as it is a mere automobile. If the past is any guide, we can be reasonably certain that there will soon be hundreds, thousands and then millions of these 11th-generation Corollas everywhere we drive. And because of Toyota’s newly emboldened designers, they could be far less forgettable than the many, many Corollas that have come before.

Toyota Motor Corporation The new Corolla’s rear quarter may display a hint of Lexus. 

Toyota renoue avec ses performances d'avant la crise

(Tokyo, correspondance)

Finis donc les ennuis du pass?. Le constructeur semble avoir tourn? la page des difficult?s que lui ont caus?es le s?isme et le tsunami de mars 2011 ainsi que les inondations en Tha?lande ? l'automne de la m?me ann?e. Sans oublier le rappel de 16,3 millions de v?hicules entre novembre 2009 et f?vrier 2011, et un yen qui avait atteint des niveaux record face au dollar et ? l'euro. Des catastrophes qui avaient co?t? sa place de num?ro un mondial au champion nippon.

"Nous avons fait face ? pas mal de d?fis depuis 2009 mais nous avons appris de tr?s importantes le?ons, notamment le fait que Toyota doit maintenir une croissance durable. Celle-ci se fera gr?ce ? des produits toujours plus performants!" a indiqu? dans un communiqu? Akio Toyoda, pr?sident du groupe fond? par sa famille.

Ce r?sultat, le g?ant de Nagawa - redevenu num?ro un mondial devant l'am?ricain General Motors d?but 2013 - le doit d'abord ? la tr?s bonne sant? du march? am?ricain. Toyota a en effet ?coul? 2,4 millions de v?hicules aux Etats-Unis, se rapprochant de Ford, le num?ro deux local. Et ce gr?ce ? son mod?le Camry, particuli?rement adapt? ? la demande Outre-Atlantique.

Lire Le retour au sommet de Toyota

R?DUCTION DES CO?TS

Sur l'archipel nippon et plus g?n?ralement en Asie, les ventes se sont bien port?es aussi, en d?pit des tensions avec la Chine. Toyota tire, par ailleurs, les b?n?fices d'une politique massive de r?duction des co?ts (le groupe a ?conomis? 450 milliards de yens en 2012). Et d'un cours du yen beaucoup plus favorable sur les six derniers mois. Car ? chaque fois que le dollar vaut un yen de plus, le groupe voit ses profits op?rationnels grimper de 35 milliards de yens.

Ces bonnes performances ont incit? Toyota ? acc?der aux demandes des syndicats lors des traditionnelles n?gociations du printemps : les bonus annuels des salari?s atteindront deux millions de yens (15 400 euros) en moyenne, 15 % de plus qu'en 2012. Ayant d?cid? d'augmenter la production au Japon de 10 % entre avril et septembre, le constructeur pr?voit des embauches d'int?rimaires et travaille sur la possibilit? de maintenir en activit? ? mi-temps ses employ?s retrait?s.

Mais certaines inqui?tudes persistent pour 2013. Toyota n'est pas ? l'abri d'une hausse du yen ou d'une baisse des ventes au Japon. "Toyota les attend d?j? en recul de 18 %", observe Kohei Takahashi, analyste chez JPMorgan Securities Japan.

INTERROGATIONS SUR LES HYBRIDES

Et les tensions diplomatiques persistantes avec la Chine autour des ?les Senkaku/Diaoyu, qui ont fortement affect? l'activit? des industriels nippons d?s l'automne 2012, pourraient lui nuire. Bien que l'h?morragie ait ?t? en partie jugul?e (en avril, les ventes en Chine n'ont recul? "que" de 6,5 % contre 17 % en mars), les prises de position nationalistes du premier ministre japonais Shinzo Abe depuis son arriv?e au pouvoir en d?cembre 2012 compromettent un retour ? la normale. "Nos attentes sur ce march? ?taient une reprise des ventes en six mois, d?clarait le 21 avril Hiroji Onishi, dirigeant de Toyota en Chine, avant l'ouverture du Shanghai Auto Show o? le constructeur pr?sentait 52 mod?les. Mais notre plan aujourd'hui est de progresser apr?s l'arriv?e de nouveaux mod?les ? l'automne."

En Europe, la crise p?se ?galement sur les ventes, m?me si l'activit? reste rentable. Et aux Etats-Unis, note M. Takahashi, "le cycle de renouvellement des mod?les pourrait ne pas suffire pour continuer de progresser".

Les performances des mod?les hybrides suscitent elles aussi quelques interrogations. Car s'ils ont perc? au Japon, c'est avec l'aide du gouvernement qui a subventionn? leur achat jusqu'en septembre 2012 et a ainsi contribu? au succ?s des mod?les Aqua et Prius, les v?hicules les plus vendus dans l'Archipel. Mais l'engouement est moins important en Chine ou en Europe. "La pr?f?rence va encore aux v?hicules ? faible consommation de carburant", fait remarquer un observateur du secteur.

Aux Etats-Unis, la baisse des prix du p?trole se traduit par une relative d?saffection pour les mod?les hybrides. Les ventes de Prius y ont, par exemple, recul? de 20 % au mois d'avril. "Les ventes de v?hicules hybrides au cours de l'exercice 2013 pourraient stagner, voire d?cliner", pr?dit ainsi Kohei Takahashi.

Cela n'emp?che pas certains analystes de voir le constructeur franchir la barre des 2 000 milliards de yens de profits op?rationnels l'an prochain.

La production en France de PSA Peugeot-Citro?n et de Renault s'est effondr?e d'un tiers au premier trimestre. PSA a produit 35,7% de voitures et d'utilitaires l?gers en moins que sur la m?me p?riode de 2012, soit 230337 unit?s, selon des donn?es publi?es, mardi 7mai, par le Comit? des constructeurs fran?ais d'automobiles. Le recul est de 23,7% pour Renault, avec 118060 unit?s assembl?es.
La production a aussi baiss? hors de l'Hexagone. Au total, la production mondiale de PSA abaiss? de 18,8%, ? 712936 unit?s, et celle de Renault de 7,9%, ? 658587 unit?s.