===
Toyota Motor Corporation is a multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in the city
of Toyota in Japan's Aichi
Prefecture. It
was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on
August 28, 1937. Toyota is one of the largest automobile
manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 million vehicles per year.
The company was
founded as a spinoff of Toyota Industries, a machine maker started by Sakichi
Toyoda, Kiichiro's father. Both companies are now part of the Toyota
Group, one of
the largest conglomerates in the world. While still a department of Toyota
Industries, the company developed its first product, the Type
A engine in
1934 and its first passenger car in 1936, the Toyota AA.
After World War II,
Toyota benefited from Japan's alliance with the United States to learn from
American automakers, which would give rise to The Toyota Way (a management philosophy) and the Toyota Production System (a lean
manufacturing practice)
that would transform the small company into a leader in the industry and would
be the subject of many academic studies.
In the 1960s,
Toyota took advantage of a rapidly growing economy in Japan to sell cars in the
domestic market, developing the Toyota Corolla, which would go on to become the world’s all-time best-selling automobile. The booming economy also funded an
international expansion that would allow Toyota to grow to become one of the
largest automobile manufacturers in the world, the largest company in Japan by
market capitalization and tenth-largest company in the world by revenue, as of December 2019. Toyota was the
world's first automobile manufacturer to produce more than 10 million vehicles
per year, a record set in 2012, when it also reported the production of its 200
millionth vehicle.
Toyota has been
praised as a leader in the development and sales of more fuel efficient hybrid electric vehicles, starting with the introduction of the Toyota
Prius in
1997. The company now sells more than 40 hybrid vehicle models around the
world. However, more recently, the company has also been accused of greenwashing for its skepticism of all-electric
vehicles and
its focus on the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, like the Toyota Mirai, a technology that is costlier and has fallen
far behind electric batteries.
Toyota Motor
Corporation produces vehicles under five brands: Toyota, Hino, Lexus, Ranz, and Daihatsu. The company holds a 20.02% stake in Subaru
Corporation, a
5.1% stake in Mazda, a 4.9% stake in Suzuki, a 4.6% stake in Isuzu, a 3.8% stake in Yamaha Motor Corporation, and a 2.8% stake in Panasonic, as well as stakes in vehicle manufacturing
joint-ventures in China (GAC Toyota and FAW Toyota), India (Toyota Kirloskar), the Czech Republic (TPCA), the United States (MTMUS).
Toyota is listed on
the London Stock Exchange, Nagoya Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and on the Tokyo
Stock Exchange,
where its stock is a component of the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX Core30 indices.
Source: Toyota - Wikipedia
The Toyota Hilux is a series of pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Japanese
automobile manufacturer Toyota. The
majority of these vehicles are sold as pickup truck or cab chassis variants,
although they could be configured in a variety of body styles. The pickup truck
was sold with the HiLux name in most markets, but in North America, the Hilux
name was retired in 1976 in favor of Truck, Pickup
Truck, or Compact Truck.
In North America, the popular option package, the SR5 (Sport Runabout 5-Speed),
was colloquially used as a model name for the truck, even though the option
package was also used on other Toyota models, like the 1972 to 1979 Corolla. In
1984, the Toyota Trekker, the camper version of the Hilux, was renamed
the 4Runner in Venezuela, Australia and North
America, and the Hilux Surf in Japan. In 1995, Toyota introduced a
new pickup model, the midsize Toyota T100 in North America, necessitating distinct
names for each vehicle other than Truck and Pickup Truck. The 4Runner is now a
full SUV, and the more recent models of the Hilux are separate in appearance
from the Tacoma.
Source: Toyota Hilux - Wikipedia
Suzuki Motor
Corporation is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered
in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu.
Suzuki manufactures automobiles, four-wheel drive vehicles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines. In 2016, Suzuki
was the eleventh biggest automaker by production
worldwide. Suzuki has over 45,000 employees and has 35 production
facilities in 23 countries, and 133 distributors in 192 countries. The
worldwide sales volume of automobiles is the world's tenth largest, while
domestic sales volume is the third largest in the country.
Suzuki's
domestic motorcycle sales volume
is the third largest in Japan.
In 1909, Michio Suzuki (1887–1982) founded the
Suzuki Loom Works in the small seacoast village of Hamamatsu, Japan. Business boomed as Suzuki built weaving looms for Japan's giant silk industry. In
1929, Michio Suzuki invented a new type of weaving machine, which was exported
overseas. The company's first 30 years focused on the development and
production of these machines.
Despite the success of his looms, Suzuki
believed that his company would benefit from diversification and he began to
look at other products. Based on consumer demand, he decided that building a
small car would be the most practical new venture. The project began in 1937,
and within two years Suzuki had completed several compact prototype cars. These first Suzuki motor vehicles
were powered by a then-innovative, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, four-cylinder
engine. It had a cast aluminum crankcase and gearbox and
generated 13 horsepower (9.7 kW) from a displacement of less than 800cc.
With the onset of World War II, production
plans for Suzuki's new vehicles were halted when the government declared
civilian passenger cars a "non-essential commodity." At the
conclusion of the war, Suzuki went back to producing looms. Loom production was
given a boost when the U.S. government approved the shipping of cotton to
Japan. Suzuki's fortunes brightened as orders began to increase from domestic
textile manufacturers. But the joy was short-lived as the cotton market
collapsed in 1951.
Faced with this colossal challenge, Suzuki
returned to the production of motor vehicles. After the war, the Japanese had a
great need for affordable, reliable personal transportation. A number of firms
began offering "clip-on" gas-powered engines that could be attached
to the typical bicycle. Suzuki's first two-wheeled vehicle was a bicycle fitted
with a motor called, the "Power Free." Designed to be inexpensive and
simple to build and maintain, the 1952 Power Free had a 36 cc, one
horsepower, two-stroke engine. The new double-sprocket gear
system enabled the rider to either pedal with the engine assisting, pedal
without engine assist, or simply disconnect the pedals and run on engine power
alone. The patent office of the new democratic government granted Suzuki a
financial subsidy to
continue research in motorcycle engineering.
Volkswagen held a 19.9% non-controlling
shareholding in Suzuki between 2009 and 2015. This situation did not last, as
Suzuki accused Volkswagen of not sharing promised technology while Volkswagen
objected to a deal where Suzuki purchased diesel engines from Fiat. An international arbitration court ordered
Volkswagen to sell the stake back to Suzuki. Suzuki paid $3.8bn to complete the
stock buy-back in September 2015.
The
Suzuki Loom Company started in 1909 as a manufacturer of looms for weaving silk
and cotton. Michio Suzuki was intent on making better, more user-friendly looms
and, for 30 years his focus was on the development of these machines. Michio's
desire to diversify into automotive products was interrupted by World War
II. Before it began building four-stroke
engines, Suzuki Motor Corp. was
known for its two-stroke
engines (for motorcycles and
autos). After the war, Suzuki made a two-stroke motorized bicycle, but eventually the company would be known
for Hayabusa and GSX-R motorcycles,
for the QuadRunner, and for dominating racetracks
around the world. Even after producing its first car in 1955 the company didn't
have an automobile division until 1961. Today Suzuki is among the world's
largest automakers, and a major brand name in important markets, including
Japan and India, but no longer sells cars in North America.
In August 2019, Toyota announced it would
acquire a 4.9% stake in Suzuki, with Suzuki taking a 0.2% stake in Toyota in
return.
Maruti Suzuki India
Limited (Formerly Maruti Udyog
Limited)
Based in Gurgaon, Haryana, Maruti
Suzuki India Limited is an Indian automobile manufacturer that is a subsidiary of
Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation. Maruti Suzuki produced
1,133,695 units between 1 April 2011 and 30 March 2012. The Suzuki Motor
Corporation owns 54.2% of Maruti Suzuki and the rest is owned by various Indian
public and financial institutions. The company was incorporated in 1981 and is
listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India.
Maruti Suzuki was born as a Government of India-led
company named Maruti Udyog Limited, with Suzuki as a minor partner, to make
lower priced cars for middle class Indians. Over the years, the product range
has widened and ownership has changed hands as the customer has evolved.
Maruti Exports Limited is Maruti's exporting subsidiary
and, as such, does not operate in the domestic Indian market except in its
capacity as an exporter for Maruti
Suzuki and for the international Suzuki Motor Corporation as
well as their other affiliates. The first commercial consignment of 480 cars
were sent to Hungary. By sending a consignment of 571 cars to the same country,
Maruti crossed the benchmark of 3,000,000 cars. Since its inception export was
one of the aspects the government has been keen to encourage.
American Suzuki Motor
Corp.
American Suzuki headquarters is in Brea,
California. The company announced in November 2012 that it would stop selling
cars in the United States.
2006 was the first year American Suzuki sold
more than 100,000 vehicles in the United States. Suzuki redesigned the Grand
Vitara in 2006 as well as introduced the all-new Suzuki SX4 and Suzuki XL7 in 2007. The Suzuki SX4 is produced as a joint venture with Fiat and the XL7 (notice the
shortening of the name from Grand Vitara XL-7) was produced as a joint venture
with GM at CAMI Automotive Inc. in Ingersoll. Suzuki put XL7 production on
indefinite hiatus in mid-2009 due to low demand and subsequently sold off its
share of CAMI back to GM later that year.
Despite a difficult domestic US automarket,
Suzuki kept pace with its 2007 sales numbers in 2008. In 2009 however, Suzuki
sales dropped 48.5%, following a 17% sales drop in 2008. Suzuki did
not import any 2010 model year street motorcycles into the US, with dealers
instead relying on unsold stock from the 2009 model year. New street
motorcycle models to the US resumed for the 2011 model year.
In November 2012, Suzuki announced that its US
division would file for bankruptcy and would stop selling automobiles in the
United States. It plans to continue to sell motorcycles, ATVs, and marine
products in the US. In ten months of 2012, Suzuki only sold 21,188 automobiles
in the US. The combination of a strong yen and Suzuki's own limited offering of
models has been blamed for the downturn.
Suzuki Canada Inc.
In 2013, Suzuki Canada announced that it would
follow the US division and stop selling automobiles in Canada after the 2014
model year. Suzuki Canada will continue to provide parts and services to
vehicles through dealer network, as well as selling motorcycles, ATV and
outboard motors.
Source: Suzuki - Wikipedia
The Mazda Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational automaker based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture,
Japan.
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million
vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly 1 million) were
produced in the company's Japanese plants, with the remainder coming from a
variety of other plants worldwide. In 2015, Mazda was the fifteenth
largest automaker by production worldwide.
This partnership with Ford began owing to Mazda's financial
difficulties during the 1960s. Starting in 1979 by expanding their
7 percent financial stake to 24.5%, Ford expanded an existing partnership
with Mazda, resulting in various joint projects. The cooperation had begun in
1971 when the Mazda B-Series spawned a Ford Courier variant for North
America, a version which was later offered in other markets as well.
Mazda's Bongo and Titan cab-over trucks were sold with Ford
badging in mainly Asia and the Pacific region beginning in 1976. These
included large and small efforts in all areas of the automotive landscape —
most notably in the realm of pickup trucks and smaller cars. Mazda began
supplying manual transaxles to Ford in the spring of 1980. Mazda's Familia platform
was used for Ford models like the Laser and Escort beginning
in 1980, while the Capella architecture found its way into
Ford's Telstar sedan and Probe sports models.
During the 1980s, Ford-badged Mazda products
replaced much of their own European-sourced lineup, especially in the
Asia-Pacific markets, with the Laser replacing the Escort and
the Telstar replacing the Cortina. In some cases, such as New Zealand and South Africa,
these were assembled alongside their Mazda-badged equivalents, the Mazda 323
(Familia) and 626 (Capella).
Following the closure of its own assembly plant
in New Zealand, Mazda established a joint venture with Ford New Zealand known
as Vehicle Assemblers of New Zealand (VANZ), while in South Africa, Ford's
local subsidiary merged with Sigma Motor Corporation,
which already assembled Mazdas in the country, to form Samcor, although
the sharing of models proved unpopular with both Ford and Mazda
customers. In other markets such as Australia, however, the 323 and 626
were always fully imported, with only the Laser and Telstar assembled
locally. In Japan, the Laser and Telstar were also sold alongside their
Mazda-badged brethren, but the Festiva was not sold as a Mazda 121 on the
Japanese market.
In North America, the Probe was built in a new
Mazda company plant in Flat Rock, Michigan,
along with the mainstream 626 sedan and a companion Mazda MX-6 sports coupe. Ford also lent Mazda some
of its capacity when needed: the Mazda 121 sold in Europe and South Africa was, for
a time, a variant of the Ford Fiesta built in plants in Europe and South
Africa. Mazda also made an effort in the past to sell some of Ford's cars in
Japan, mainly through its Autorama dealer group.
Further
financial difficulties at Mazda during the 1990s (partly caused by losses
related to the 1997
Asian financial crisis caused
Ford to increase its stake to a 33.4-percent controlling
interest in May 1996. In
June 1996, Henry Wallace was appointed president, and he set about
restructuring Mazda and setting it on a new strategic direction. He laid out a
new direction for the brand including the design of the present Mazda marque;
he laid out a new product plan to achieve synergies with Ford, and he launched
Mazda's digital innovation program to speed up the development of new products.
At the same time, he started taking control of overseas distributors,
rationalized dealerships and manufacturing facilities, and driving much-needed
efficiencies and cost reductions in Mazda's operations. Much of his early work
put Mazda back into profitability and laid the foundations for future success.
Wallace was succeeded by James Miller in November 1997, followed in December
1999 by Ford executive Mark
Fields, who has been credited
with expanding Mazda's new product lineup and leading the turnaround during the
early 2000s. Ford's increased influence during the 1990s allowed Mazda to claim
another distinction in history, having maintained the first foreign-born head
of a Japanese car company, Henry Wallace.
Amid the world financial crisis in the fall of
2008, reports emerged that Ford was contemplating a sale of its stake in Mazda
as a way of streamlining its asset base. BusinessWeek explained
the alliance between Ford and Mazda has been a very successful one, with Mazda
saving perhaps $90 million a year in development costs and Ford
"several times" that, and that a sale of its stake in Mazda would be
a desperate measure. On November 18, 2008, Ford announced that it would
sell a 20% stake in Mazda, reducing its stake to 13.4%, thus surrendering control
of the company, which it held since 1996. The following day, Mazda
announced that, as part of the deal, it was buying back 6.8% of its shares from
Ford for about US$185 million while the rest would be acquired by business
partners of the company. It was also reported that Hisakazu Imaki would be
stepping down as chief executive, to be replaced by Takashi Yamanouchi. On
November 18, 2010, Ford reduced its stake further to 3%, citing the reduction
of ownership would allow greater flexibility to pursue growth in emerging
markets, and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group was
believed to become its largest shareholder. Ford and Mazda remained strategic
partners through joint ventures and exchanges of technological information.
Post-partnership with
Ford
In 2011, Mazda raised more than 150 billion yen
(US$1.9 billion) in a record share sale to replenish capital, as it suffered
its biggest annual loss in 11 years. Part of the proceeds were used to build an
auto plant in Salamanca, Mexico. The Mexican plant was built jointly by
the company and Sumitomo Corporation.
In May 2015, the company signed an agreement
with Toyota to
form a "long-term partnership", that would, among others, see Mazda
supply Toyota with fuel-efficient SkyActiv gasoline and diesel engine
technology in exchange for hydrogen fuel cell systems.
SkyActiv Technology
SkyActiv technology is an umbrella name for a
range of technologies used in certain new Mazda vehicles. These vehicles
include the Mazda2/Demio, Mazda3/Axela, Mazda6/Atenza, and CX-5. Together these technologies increase fuel
economy to a level similar to a hybrid drivetrain. Engine output is increased
and emission levels are reduced. These technologies include high compression
ratio gasoline engines (13.0 to 1), reduced compression diesel engines (14.0 to
1) with new 2-stage turbocharger design, highly efficient automatic
transmissions, lighter weight manual transmissions, lightweight body designs
and electric power steering. It
is also possible to combine these technologies with a hybrid drivetrain for
even greater fuel economy.
Source: Mazda - Wikipedia
Isuzu Motors Ltd is a
Japanese commercial vehicle and diesel engine manufacturing
company headquartered in Tokyo. Its
principal activity is the production, marketing and sale of Isuzu commercial
vehicles and diesel engines.
The company also has a number of subsidiaries
and joint ventures, including UD Trucks, Anadolu
Isuzu (a Turkish joint venture with Anadolu Group), Sollers-Isuzu (a
Russian joint venture with Sollers JSC), SML Isuzu (an Indian venture formerly known
as Swaraj Mazda), Jiangxi Isuzu Motors (a
Chinese joint venture with Jiangling Motors Company Group), Isuzu Astra Motor Indonesia, Isuzu Malaysia (Isuzu HICOM), Isuzu UK, Isuzu South Africa, Isuzu Philippines, Taiwan Isuzu Motors, Isuzu Vietnam, Isuzu Motors India and BYD Isuzu.
Corporate Partnerships
Beginning in 1953 the Hillman Minx passenger
car is produced under license of Rootes Group giving
the company a passenger car to compete with other Japanese manufacturers,
realizing that their resources were limited and therefore sought out
international partnerships. The Minx remained in production until 1962, after
the 1961 introduction of Isuzu's first passenger car, the Bellel,
and later the sports coupe Isuzu 117 Coupé.
Being a small producer making cars which were somewhat too large and pricey for
the Japanese market at the time, Isuzu spent some time looking for a commercial
partner. Under pressure from MITI, who were attempting to limit the number of
automobile manufacturers in Japan, a cooperation with Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru) began in 1966. This joint sales-service
collaboration was seen as the first step towards an eventual merger. The Subaru 1000 was
even shown in Isuzu's 1967 annual vehicle brochure, as a suitable complement to
the larger Isuzu lineup. This tie-up was over by 1968, when an agreement
with Mitsubishi was formed. This ended even more quickly,
by 1969, and the next year an equally short-lived collaboration was entered
with Nissan. A
few months later, in September 1971, what was to prove a more durable capital
agreement was signed with General Motors.
In
March 2021, Isuzu, Hino, and Hino's parent Toyota announced the creation of a
strategic partnership between the three companies. Toyota acquired a 4.6% stake
in Isuzu while the latter plans to acquire Toyota shares for an equivalent
value. The three companies said they would form a new joint venture by April
called Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation with the aim of
developing fuel cell and electric light trucks. Toyota would own an 80% stake in the venture while
Hino and Isuzu would own 10% each.
Isuzu's entry in the Thai market proved to be
one of its most successful. Its presence in the country began in 1966 when it
established a manufacturing facility for pick-up trucks in the Samuthprakarn province with a capacity
of 155,000 units per year. The automaker quickly became a market leader so
that by 2002, the company transferred its production base from its original
location in Fujisuwa, Japan to Thailand. Isuzu claimed
the largest share of the Thai commercial vehicle market, outperforming its
competitors for at least 23 years. By 2006, the company transferred to an
industrial zone in Chacheongsao province to support further
production expansion. By 2017, Isuzu has been exporting pick-up trucks, with
shipments reaching North America, Latin America, Australia, and Japan. In the
same year, it announced that its profit climbed 7 percent and has doubled its
annual truck production to meet overseas demands.
Source: Isuzu - Wikipedia
Subaru is
the automobile manufacturing division of
Japanese transportation conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly
known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the twenty-first largest automaker by
production worldwide in 2017.
Subaru cars are known for their use of a boxer engine layout
in most vehicles above 1500 cc. The Symmetrical All Wheel Drive drive-train
layout was introduced in 1972. Both became standard equipment for mid-size and
smaller cars in most markets by 1996. The lone exception is the BRZ, introduced in 2012 via a partnership with
Toyota, which pairs the boxer engine with rear-wheel-drive. Subaru also offers turbocharged versions
of their passenger cars, such as the WRX, Legacy and Outback XT, Ascent, and formerly the Legacy GT and Forester XT.
In Western markets, Subaru vehicles have
traditionally attracted a small but devoted core of buyers. The company's
marketing targets those who desire its signature engine and drive train,
all-wheel drive and rough-road capabilities, or affordable sports car designs.
Subaru is
the Japanese name for the Pleiades star
cluster M45, or the "Seven Sisters" (one of whom tradition says is
invisible – hence only six stars in the Subaru logo), which in turn inspires
the logo and alludes to the companies that merged to create FHI.
Later
partnerships
Nissan acquired
a 20.7% stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, Subaru's parent company, in 1968 during
a period of government-ordered merging of the Japanese auto industry in order
to improve competitiveness under the administration of Prime Minister Eisaku
Satō. Nissan would utilize FHI's bus manufacturing capability and expertise
for their Nissan Diesel line of buses. In turn many Subaru
vehicles, even today, use parts from the Nissan manufacturing keiretsu. The Subaru automatic transmission, known as
the 4EAT, is
also used in the first generation Nissan Pathfinder. While under this arrangement
with Nissan, Subaru introduced the R-2 (1969), the Rex and the Leone (1971), the BRAT (1978), Alcyone (1985),
the Legacy (1989), the Impreza (1993)
(and its WRX subtype), and the Forester (1997).
Upon Nissan's alliance with Renault, its stake in FHI was sold to General Motors in
1999. Troy Clarke of General Motors served as representative to Fuji Heavy
Industries on their corporate board. During that time, Subaru introduced
the Baja (2003), and the Tribeca (2005).
The Subaru Forester was sold as a Chevrolet Forester in India in exchange for the Opel Zafira being
sold as a Subaru Traviq in Japan.
Also, the Chevrolet Borrego concept was presented in 2002, a crossover
coupe/pickup truck being derived from the Japanese-market Legacy Turbo
platform. During the brief General Motors period, a badge engineered Impreza was
sold in the United States as the Saab 9-2X. An SUV (Subaru Tribeca/Saab 9-6X) was also planned but the Saab
version did not proceed, and styling was recycled in the 2008 Tribeca refresh.
GM liquidated their holdings in FHI in 2005.
Nearly all Saab-Subaru joint projects were dropped at that time, other than
Subaru supplying parts for the Saab 9-2x. Toyota Motor Corporation bought a little over 40% of GM's
former FHI stock, amounting to 8.7% of FHI. (The rest of GM's shares went to a
Fuji stock buy-back program.) Toyota and Subaru have since collaborated on
a number of projects, among them building the Toyota Camry in Subaru's Indiana
U.S. plant beginning in April 2007. Subaru introduced the Exiga in
2008.
Toyota increased their share of FHI to 16.5% in
July 2008. Subsequently, Toyota and Subaru jointly developed the Subaru BRZ, first sold in January 2012. Toyota sold the
BRZ as the Scion FR-S until 2018, where it was renamed to
the Toyota 86 due to the discontinuation of
Toyota's Scion brand.
Around the time of Toyota's increased ownership, Subaru also declared that they
would no longer develop their own Kei cars and trucks, instead selling rebadged
products from Toyota's Daihatsu subsidiary. This also allowed Subaru, a
small manufacturer, to focus on their core of boxer-engined family
cars. The last of Subaru's own kei vehicles to be built was the sixth
generation Subaru Sambar, which was taken out of production in March
2012 after 54 years of continuous manufacturing in this category.
Source: Subaru - Wikipedia
Stellantis N.V. is
a Dutch-domiciled multinational automotive manufacturing corporation, formed in 2021
on the basis of a 50-50 cross-border merger between
the Italian-American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and
the French PSA Group. It is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. As of May 2021, Stellantis is the sixth-largest
automaker worldwide. The company is listed on Milan's Borsa Italiana,
on Euronext Paris and on the New York Stock Exchange.
The principal activity of Stellantis is the
design, development, manufacture and sale of automobiles bearing the Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Mopar, Opel, Peugeot, Ram and Vauxhall brands.
Stellantis has 300,000 employees, a presence in more than 130 countries with
manufacturing facilities in 30 countries.
The name comes from the Latin verb stello. It means "of (he/it that) brights with
stars".
The name Stellantis is exclusively used to identify the corporate
entity, while group brand names and logos remain unchanged.
In 2021 CEO Carlos Tavares issued a challenge
for the group's brands to prove themselves within a 10-year window, in exchange
for much-needed investment in new models and technology.
The group plans to have 39 electrified vehicle
models available by the end of 2021. There are four EV platforms planned
to be developed by the end of the 2020s. Overall, the company announced
more than €30bn will be invested by the end of 2021.
Source: Stellantis - Wikipedia
===
Well in addition to those things, as they
are too [deeply] hard and long to read (unless if the users here need more
patience), I profoundly think that these details marked below might fit/reflect
this question:
===
Toyota welcomes
Suzuki and Daihatsu to electric, autonomous vehicle tie-up
Reed Stevenson
Suzuki Motor Corp.
and Daihatsu Motor Co. are investing in a Toyota Motor Corp. entity to bring
electrification and autonomous driving to commercial vehicles, deepening ties
between the automakers.
They will join
Isuzu Motors Ltd. and Hino Motors Ltd., Toyota’s truck and bus unit, which
formed the venture earlier this year. Suzuki and Daihatsu will acquire a 10%
stake in the partnership from Toyota, they said in a statement Wednesday,
without disclosing the amount.
The world’s biggest
automaker has been stitching together a web of alliances and shareholdings with
smaller car-and-truck manufacturers to pool resources and take part in the shift
away from gasoline engines and human drivers.
Volkswagen AG and
other global automakers have also been forging partnerships as new technologies
and business models disrupt the $2.23 trillion global auto industry.
Commercial Japan
Partnership Technologies is the name of Toyota’s commercial-vehicle joint
venture. Toyota and Suzuki took stakes in each other two years ago, and
Daihatsu became a subsidiary of Toyota in 2016.
Suzuki and Daihatsu
bring to the table deep experience in smaller automobiles used by consumers and
businesses, which they said account for about 31 million of the 78 million
vehicles owned in Japan and “serve as an essential lifeline in the daily lives
of people, especially in rural areas.”
A key challenge of
bringing electrification and autonomous technology to smaller cars is keeping
costs under control so they remain affordable. That’s part of the mission of
the Toyota-led partnership, which was forged in April.
“There are many
issues that mini-vehicle manufacturers are unable to solve on their own,”
Suzuki and Daihatsu said in the statement.
Moar:
Toyota retains
crown as world's best-selling automaker in January-June period
Nagoya – Toyota
Motor Corp. remained the world’s best-selling automaker with a record 5.47
million vehicles sold for the first six months of 2021, outpacing German
archrival Volkswagen AG, the Japanese company’s data showed Thursday.
It is the second
year in a row that Toyota has been the world’s top automaker in the first half,
underscoring its sharp recovery from the initial fallout from the coronavirus
pandemic and relative resilience despite a global chip crunch.
Toyota’s previous
record sales for the first half of a year was set in 2019 with about 5.31
million units sold globally.
Toyota has enjoyed
robust sales in its key markets such as the United States and China. A Toyota
official said the automaker has been able to “limit” the impact of the global
semiconductor shortage.
In the January-June
period, Toyota sold 5,467,218 vehicles globally, up 31.3% from a year earlier.
The figure includes those sold by its minivehicle-manufacturing subsidiary
Daihatsu Motor Co. and truck maker Hino Motors Ltd.
Volkswagen sold
4,978,200 vehicles in the same period, up 27.9% from a year earlier.
In the six months
to June, strong demand for new models in North America and China lifted
Toyota’s overseas sales to a record 4.3 million units, a 36.5% year-on-year
jump.
In Japan, the
manufacturer of the Harrier SUV and Yaris compact car reported a 15.0% gain in
sales to 1.17 million vehicles, including minicars with engines of up to 660
cc., Toyota said.
Nissan Motor Co.
and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., which have formed a three-way alliance with
France’s Renault SA, are set to release their sales figures later in the day,
but they are expected to be far behind Toyota in global sales.
In the whole of
2020, Toyota reclaimed its crown as the top-selling automaker from Volkswagen
for the first time in five years.
The global shortage
of chips has forced automakers including Toyota and Volkswagen to curb
production, casting a shadow over the auto industry. The pandemic has been
boosting demand for semiconductors, used in a variety of products from laptops
and game consoles to cars.
Volkswagen on
Thursday lifted its earnings outlook after strong profits at its luxury-car
brands helped to limit the fallout from the chip shortage, which forced it to
cut expectations for deliveries this year.
The automaker
expects adjusted operating return on sales to rise to between 6% to 7.5%,
raising its outlook for a second time this year. Semiconductor scarcity will be
more severe during the second half of the year, VW said, also highlighting
risks from volatile commodity prices.
“We have
successfully contained the impacts of the semiconductor bottlenecks to date,
although we anticipate somewhat more pronounced effects in the third quarter,”
Chief Financial Officer Arno Antlitz said in a statement.
VW is joining peers
including Daimler AG and Stellantis NV with robust results, bucking chip issues
that have stymied manufacturing worldwide along with lingering restrictions
related to the pandemic. Solid profits are pivotal to financing VW’s plans to
phase out combustion engines and push into software, mobility services and
automated driving features.
Another one:
Toyota halts its
three Thailand plants as COVID-19 spread hits parts supply
Nagoya – Toyota
Motor Corp. has suspended operations at all three of its plants in Thailand
through next Wednesday due to a shortage of parts, after the latest COVID-19
outbreak forced an auto-parts plant in the country to shut down, company
officials have said.
The three Toyota
plants in Thailand, which are located in the suburbs of Bangkok and have a
combined output capacity of 760,000 units per year, serve as key production
bases for the Japanese carmaker in Southeast Asia.
Toyota has yet to
decide whether operations at the three plants will resume on July 29. It will
take into account the COVID-19 infection rate in the area when determining
whether to resume operations or extend the suspension further, the officials
said.
The automaker also
announced the same day that it will suspend part of production at its
affiliate’s plant in Aichi Prefecture for a total of five days in late July and
early August, “due to a parts shortage resulting from the spread of COVID-19 in
Southeast Asia.”
Operations at the
Toyota Auto Body Co. plant will be suspended for two days next week and three
days in the first week of August, Toyota said in a press release.
The production line
to be suspended manufactures five models, including the Alphard and Vellfire
minivans.
In Vietnam,
COVID-19 infections have been rising sharply, prompting local authorities to
impose restrictions on daily life, while other Southeast Asian countries are
also struggling to contain the coronavirus.
The situation could
affect other Japanese automakers that have local production lines or import
auto parts from the region.
Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/07/23/business/corporate-business/toyota-thailand-production-covid-19-halt
And another one:
Toyota to halt more
production lines in Japan as COVID-19 disrupts supply chain
Nagoya – Toyota
Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will suspend another three assembly lines in Japan
for several days in August due to supply chain disruptions caused by the spread
of COVID-19 infections in Vietnam.
The latest
suspensions will affect the production of around 5,000 vehicles, bringing the
total production cut to about 8,000 vehicles following the automaker’s earlier
announcement last Thursday that a line would be suspended due to infections in
the Southeast Asian country.
The company’s plant
in the city of Tahara in Aichi Prefecture will suspend a line for four days
from Aug. 3. Its affiliate Toyota Auto Body Co. will suspend two lines for two
days from Aug. 5 at its plant in the Yoshiwara area of the city of Toyota in
the prefecture, according to the automaker.
The factories
produce vehicles such as high-end Lexus brand cars and Land Cruiser sport utility
vehicles.
The company said
last Thursday it would suspend a production line at Toyota Auto Body’s
Fujimatsu plant in Aichi Prefecture for five days from July 29 “due to a parts
shortage resulting from the spread of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia.”
Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/07/28/business/corporate-business/toyota-vietnam-supply-chain
Plus:
China, Russia,
Turkey edging Europe out of the Maghreb
New players are supplanting the traditional power and influence of France and
others from northwestern Africa
When dockworkers at
the Port of Algiers discovered two dead pigs in a shipment of milling wheat
from France on June 17, there was outrage amongst Muslim Algerians.
With the pig an
unclean animal in Islam, Agriculture Minister Al-Hamid Hamidani promptly
blacklisted the French supplier and sent the 27,000-ton cargo back, demanding
compensation.
The bakers of
Algiers were not left without wheat to make bread for long, though.
Only five days later,
28,000 tons of milling wheat was reportedly on its way to Algiers – the first
such cargo in four years from a country far further afield than France: Russia.
Indeed, nowadays
across the Maghreb – the northwest African countries from Libya to Mauritania –
traditional European powers are being challenged by states that have either
long been absent from the region, or which are entirely new to it.
The rising
influence of Turkey, Russia and even China has diminished the involvement of
the traditional players, especially France.
“In recent years,
the Maghreb has become an increasingly crowded field,” Intissar Fakir, head of
the North Africa Program at the Middle East Institute, told Asia Times.
This competition
does not stop at grain, either, but includes weapons, soldiers – and political
influence.
It is a competition
that also impacts a much wider geography.
“When you talk
about the Maghreb, you also have to talk about the Sahel region, too,” Arezki
Daoud, principle analyst at MEA Risk and editor of the North Africa Journal,
told Asia Times. “And that region is now potentially at an inflection point.”
Indeed, south of
Morocco, Algeria and Libya lie a belt of countries – Mali, Niger and Chad –
where conflict now threatens to overturn the whole balance of power in North
Africa.
Colonial,
post-colonial, neo-colonial
From the 19th century onwards, the Maghreb – “the West” in Arabic – was
dominated by European colonial powers.
France ruled in
Tunisia and Algeria and shared control of Morocco with Spain. At the start of
the 20th century, Italy also invaded and occupied Libya, ejecting the Ottoman
Empire – to whom most North African states had at one time or another held
allegiance.
A series of wars of
independence, however, saw all these states break free in the 1950s and 1960s.
Yet,
post-independence, the bonds with former colonial powers continued –
economically, and culturally.
In 2019, France,
Italy and Spain were by far the top three trading partners for Algeria, Tunisia
and Morocco, while the European Union regularly accounted for more than half of
all trade in the Maghreb.
The region’s people
are also often linked to Europe.
In France today,
for example, estimates of the number of citizens of Maghrebi descent range from
five to eight million. French also remains a major language in Algeria,
Tunisia, Mauritania and Morocco.
In recent times,
however, other influences have started to strengthen.
“There has been a
long-term de-coupling between North Africa and the West,” Riccardo Fabiani, the
International Crisis Group’s North Africa project director, told Asia Times.
Two major factors
have been behind this – economic and geo-strategic.
On the economic
front, the eurozone crisis – a multi-year affair starting back in 2009 –knocked
Europe back as a major source of finance and investment.
“There was a sense
of Europe retreating after that,” says Fakir, “of not paying as close attention
as before to its North African allies.”
On the geostrategic
level, “the US has been playing a lot more distant role in North Africa,” says
Fabiani, “first under Trump, but it seems Biden is continuing on the same path.
The US doesn’t seem particularly concerned with Western Sahara, Tunisia, even
Libya, while Europe is just unable to fill that gap.”
This has created a
space for non-traditional actors to enter more fully.
In Libya, Turkey is
now a major power, with troops on the ground in Tripoli, while Turkish
businesses and products are major players in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.
In Tunisia, the
Ennahda Party is one of the largest, and is connected to the Muslim Brotherhood
(MB), the pan-Arab Islamist movement widely supported by Ankara.
This connection has
also brought the Maghreb into the post-Arab Spring competition between
supporters of groups tied to the MB – Turkey and Qatar – and their opponents –
Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
This entanglement
is most evident in Libya, where the UAE has sent money and military resources
to oppose the Turkey-backed government in Tripoli.
At the same time,
Turkish ‘soft power’ is also evident across the Maghreb, in popular TV series,
educational exchanges – and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s leadership
style.
“Independent,
unyielding and with a tough skin, he is building the posture of a regional
leader – which appeals to many here,” says Fakir.
Russia is also a
major military player in Libya – avoiding any direct presence by working
through the mercenary Wagner Group – while it is also a big arms supplier
across the region.
“Algeria is the
biggest buyer of Russian arms in Africa,” says Fakir, “while Russia is also
heavily invested in Algeria’s energy sector, through Gazprom and Lukoil.”
Algeria has
extensive gas and oil reserves, mostly run by state-owned Sonatrach, the
largest company on the continent.
Russia has also had
some success with “vaccine diplomacy.”
“Algeria and
Tunisia have authorized the Sputnik vaccine and are hoping to manufacture it
locally,” adds Fakir.
East-West corridors
Another country engaging in vaccine diplomacy these days is China, which has
sent Sinopharm shots to the Maghreb, as its influence also grows.
“Beijing doesn’t
speak out about human rights, or against authoritarianism, or criticize a
country’s behavior, which states here do have to worry about when it comes to
Europe,” adds Fakir.
Indeed, on June 21,
Germany announced it was suspending its US$1 billion aid program to Morocco,
due to a dispute over Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara, the former
Spanish colony taken over by Rabat back in 1979.
In contrast, China
makes no comment on the Western Sahara and has instead been increasing its
investment footprint around the Maghreb, largely through construction.
This has included
prestige projects such as the $1 billion Great Mosque of Algiers – the largest
in Africa – and the $32.5 million Rabat-Sale bridge in Morocco – the longest on
the continent.
China has also
reportedly assisted Algeria in installing Huawei surveillance equipment to
monitor oppositionists.
Yet, “China hasn’t
been as successful in North Africa as it has been in Sub-Saharan Africa,” says
Daoud.
The North African
countries remain wary of Chinese “debt diplomacy,” while there have also
recently been a number of problems with projects – such as Morocco’s Rabat-Sale
airport and Tangier Tech City.
The Maghreb also
remains some way off the main focus of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
“The BRI is about
connecting China to Europe, says Fabiani, “and the Mediterranean is a part of
this – but the eastern part, not the western.”
Rising and falling
Meanwhile, the other side of the coin to the growing presence of
non-traditional actors is the fading of traditional influencers.
“You have to ask,
what happened to the Europeans?” says Daoud, “and in North Africa and the
Sahel, that really means, what happened to the French? They’ve simply been
unable to update and upgrade their Africa policy as times have changed.”
This troubled role
was further highlighted on June 10, when French President Emanuel Macron
announced he was ending French military operations in the Sahel against
jihadist fighters.
France could not
maintain a “constant” presence there any longer, he said.
In the Maghreb,
too, “the Europeans already don’t think of themselves as having ‘leverage’ over
what happens there,” says Fakir.
That may change, as
European states begin to take the rising presence of Turkey, Russia and even
China into account, however.
“The Europeans are
now making clear that they see China as a threat,” says Fabiani, “so there
could be an increase in competition over infrastructure that might boost the
Maghreb’s importance to both, going forward.”
For now though,
while “Europe and North Africa can’t really do without each other,” says Fakir,
“The relationship will continue to erode – and to grow a lot more complicated.”
Source: https://asiatimes.com/2021/06/china-russia-turkey-edging-europe-out-of-the-maghreb
===
Furthermore, as this statement is deeply long
to read and make as a [beluga] whale and difficult as [climbing] a mountain…
I think a hypothetical
scenario of Stellantis—a sixteen-piece automotive concern—merging with
Toyota would not just affect the latter’s recent dealings in Subaru,
Mazda,
Suzuki and Isuzu,
to which the latter two are no longer selling cars in North America since the late 2000s and mid to late early
2010s, but also this would give an impact on the Netherlands-based
carmaker’s profoundly robust
sales presence in the Latin American—particularly in the Brazilian—market.
Perhaps, one of the following reasons that
would come out of a fantasy Toyota x Stellantis/Toyota-Stellantis merger might
be:
Suzuki would licence its diminutive Suzuki
Jimny off-road
vehicle (ORV) and Indonesia-sourced
[Suzuki] Ertiga multi-purpose
vehicle (MPV) to Stellantis for rebadge selling in that
majority-Romance language-speaking part of
the Americas—including
the Caribbean that includes the
Dominican
Republic, and to lesser extents, Cuba and [French-speaking] Haiti—as either with the slaps of badges from:
Peugeot — to which they licenced a Mercedes Geländewagen [exclusive to the French military] called “P4”, but the lion-badged
marque on the other hand had its Brazil-based unit developed the [Peugeot] 206 supermini-based [Peugeot]
Hoggar coupé
utility that ran from 2010 to 2014.
Citroen — since they built the [similarly yet
mechanically different] [Citroën] Méhari
from 1968 to 1988.
Fiat — as they produced the [Fiat] Campagnola that
was followed by the [Suzuki] SX4-based [Fiat] Sedici from 2005 to
2013-2014 while right-hand
drive (RHD) markets were terminated in 2010.
Alfa Romeo (AR) — prior to its merger with
Fiat in 1986 meant that AR manufactured the [Alfa Romeo] Matta
for both civilian (AR 52) and military (AR 51) usages from 1952 to 1954.
Jeep — one of the closest names to
match the rebadging of the Jimny since the latter’s developer (Suzuki)
described the former as an inspiration during development, especially with
“Jimny” being a portmanteau
of “jeep” and “mini”.
Ram — perhaps another rugged vehicle know-how that would smack its name on
the Jimny’s exterior, probably a revived allusion to the Dodge Rampage coupé
utility that was ran from 1982 to 1984.
Surprisingly, as
Suzuki and Isuzu
neither sold well in half of the countries in the LATAM subregion within the past decades, e.g. in the case of the
former’s vehicles being rebadged/rebranded as “Chevrolet” in Ecuador and Colombia due to Suzuki’s
1981-2008 and Isuzu’s 1971-2006 partnership with GM, then in spite of their
already-forged
cooperation with Toyota means that Suzuki and Isuzu might as well resurrect
their donations of
models to Stellantis.
Toyota and—probably—its deeply ignored Daihatsu affiliate in turn
might trade the former’s [Toyota]
Etios supermini for rebadging
and reengineering/retooling
Brazilian-assembled Stellantis models exclusively for sale in Latin
America and—to a lesser extent—the Caribbean, e.g. Fiat Argo and the Fiat Toro pick-up/ute (in Australia and
New Zealand)/bakkie (in South Africa).
Since Argentina is always counted as a
Latin American country, as not only it deeply witnesses the brands of
Stellantis and its cars as significant as Renault and—to a
greater extent—GM in sales numbers (within Argentina and neighbours in several
past years), but also Toyota’s sales in the homeland of the late [great] Diego
Maradona—aka “The
hand of God”—and Lionel “Leo” Messi (both football
players) in recent
years have been either surged or declined.
Perhaps a hypothetical case scenario of
Toyota, together with Suzuki and Mazda (in particular), buying such shares/stakes
in Stellantis just to increase its LatAm tour might pave way for Argentine
shoppers/buyers in particular to boycott [Brexit] British Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Aston Martin (AM)
in exchange for buying Peugeots,
Citroens, Fiats or Ram vehicles with the Toyota badge being slapped on — maybe the
idea of Argentine motorists trading the
cars of JLR and James Bond’s trusted marque (Aston Martin) for Toyota, Suzuki,
Mazda or Stellantis models with the first one’s badges being smacked on might
be rooted to the Falkland Islands sovereignty
dispute.
Another reason for Stellantis merging with
Toyota—while the latter invests in Suzuki, Mazda, Subaru and Isuzu—might not be
in regards with the Latin American and Caribbean markets, but also with some
markets in Africa, e.g. North and West Africa, as well — as these places used
to be Peugeot’s stronghold before Toyota took over the former’s mantle of being the
master of African roads — Chinese and [to lesser extents] Russian (like AvtoVAZ/Lada) and Iranian brands
(like Iran Khodro and SAIPA) these days are profoundly
usurping the likes of
Toyota for its chances in Africa and as well LatAm/Caribbean.
Or if Toyota might either accept or reject
its attempt to purchase Stellantis, then the former could might as well take
over Nissan
alone—from Groupe Renault (another French connector)—instead
of the latter trying to bail out of Renault in exchange for [Nissan alone]
merging with the Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) — whose sales significance
in Mexico are on a par with Toyota too.
Furthemore, the French and Italian governments would hand over their shareholdings in Stellantis to Toyota in exchange for France and Italy—both European Union (EU) founding members—to focus deeply on such topics like LGBT/LGBTQ and women's rights, etc.
— Genda
Nicolai Yturzaeta Iwakawa/awakawI ateazrutY ialociN adneG, I will end this
remark with links and images to reflect.
Original
equipment manufacturer - Wikipedia —
“An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company
that produces parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-18424768 — “"Latin
America is a very important region for our country in economic, political and
strategic (in the event of a sharp deterioration in Russian-American relations)
terms," the country's international radio, The Voice of Russia, said in
February.”
Separated at birth...
