December 22, 2011

Toyota Sees 2012 Global Sales Rising 20% to Record 8.48M
Toyota Motor Corp. forecast a 20 percent jump in global sales to a record 8.48 million vehicles next year as it claws back from production losses caused by natural disasters in Japan and Thailand. Toyota overtook General Motors Co. as the world's top-selling automaker in 2008 but is set to lose that crown this year as supply chain disruptions from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and deadly floods in Thailand hampered production around the world. With estimated sales in 2011 of 7.9 million vehicles for the group, including its Daihatsu and Hino Motors units, Toyota is likely to rank third in global sales behind General Motors Co. and Volkswagen AG. But, reports Automotive News, the top spot could go back to Toyota next year as it builds inventory to meet pent-up demand and adds production capacity in China and Brazil. Toyota's parent-only plan for 2012 exceeds the peak of 8.43 million marked in 2007. Toyota also announced plans to sell 8.95 million Toyota, Lexus, and Scion vehicles worldwide in 2013, and build 8.98 million vehicles. It gave no regional breakdown for the forecasts outside Japan. Click here for more on Toyota’s plans to improve its sales figures in 2012.

Honda Revs Up Outside Japan
Honda Motor Co. plans to shift a major chunk of its manufacturing to North America over the next two years, bulking up production capacity in the region by as much as 40 percent to combat a strengthening yen. The Wall Street Journal reports that the drive to bulk up in North America is led by the yen's strength against the U.S. dollar, a change that is causing Honda and other Japanese automakers to lose money on many of the vehicles they now export from Japan. A stronger yen erodes the value of dollar-denominated profit and makes exports less price competitive. Honda, which produced 1.29 million vehicles in North America in 2010, plans to build a new plant in Celaya, Mexico, and expand all seven of its existing assembly plants, aiming to build just short of 2 million cars and trucks a year. Honda retailers who were briefed last week estimated the company will eventually export between 200,000 and 300,000 vehicles a year from North America, roughly a tenfold increase from the 35,000 cars and trucks it now exports annually. For the latest on Honda’s plans to move more of its production to North America, click here.

Saab's U.S. Arm Buys Time with Out-of-Court Bankruptcy Move
Saab's U.S. unit said Wednesday that it entered what amounts to an out-of-court bankruptcy process that might keep Saab Cars North America (SCNA) alive long enough for an investor to buy the U.S. operation. According to USA Today, SCNA turned over control of the company to McTevia & Associates, financial adviser to troubled firms. The move changes nothing from the car buyer's viewpoint. The approximately 3,000 new vehicles still in inventory have no warranty and are being sold "as-is," as if they were used cars. Saab won't pay for warranty repairs on cars bought after General Motors sold Saab in February of 2010. "All we're about is buying time and not hurting any of the parties during that process," says McTevia & Associates founder Jim McTevia, longtime adviser to troubled companies. Tim Colbeck, president of SCNA, said, "We had a couple of choices: We could follow (Saab AB, the Swedish parent company) into some type of protected bankruptcy or liquidation. The other choice is to do this out of court. We announced today that we have chosen an out-of-court solution. We have appointed a third-party independent administrator." For more on Saab’s U.S. arm and how it is navigating the brand’s bankruptcy filing, click here.

LaHood Opposes Ban on Hands-Free Calls Behind Wheel
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he did not support a call by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to bar drivers from making hands-free calls behind the wheel. "The problem is not hands-free," LaHood told reporters at the department's headquarters Wednesday. "That is not the big problem in America." Instead, reports The Detroit News, LaHood is focusing on handheld calls. In doing so, he has won the backing of major automakers for legislation that aims to bar all drivers from doing so. LaHood has prodded states to crack down on distracted driving, especially texting or making calls with a handheld phone behind the wheel. Last week, the NTSB called on states to bar all calls, including hands-free calls behind the wheel that involve a portable device. Across the country, 35 states, including Michigan, have banned texting behind the wheel. Nine states have barred handheld cellphone use. No state has gone as far as the NTSB has sought. On Wednesday, LaHood strongly urged people not to make calls behind the wheel. "We need people to take personal responsibility. Put the cellphone in the glove compartment," LaHood said. Click here for more on Secretary LaHood’s stance on driver cell phone use.

50 Worst Cars of All Time
What people forget when they talk about the worst cars in history is that the Edsel wasn’t a car – it was an entire brand. The poster child for automotive failure was supposed to be Ford’s trade-up line when it launched with four models in 1957. Ford had seemingly forgotten about Mercury, which was already positioned between the Blue Oval and its Lincoln luxury division. Edsel’s demise after the 1960 model year made it a famous business school case, but for AOL Autos’ purposes it will serve to mark the beginning of the modern era of bad cars. The online publication has pieced together what it says is its highly subjective choice of each major brand’s worst product of the past five decades. Click here to check out the extensive list. It includes such notables as the 1996 Acura SLX – a rebadged version of the Isuzu Trooper – and the 1966 Buick Riviera – noted for its shared platform with the Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado. Also making the cut is the 1999 Daewoo Leganza; when Daewoo went bankrupt, replacement parts disappeared from the market, leading some auto insurers to refuse coverage on the vehicles. Check out the rest of AOL Autos’ list of the worst cars of all time here.

Around the Web 
Porsche at Le Mans Video Series Looks to the Future [MotorAuthority]
2012 Detroit Auto Show: Lexus Unveils Sport Coupe Concept [Edmunds Inside Line]
Man Wins Lamborghini, Crashes It, Will Sell It [MSNBC]
Cities with the Most Drunk Drivers [Forbes]