Toyota Aims to Make Up Some Lost Production as Supplies Rebound

First Up 10/12/21

Toyota Aims to Make Up Some Lost Production as Supplies Rebound

Toyota Motor Corp in December wants to restart production curtailed by component shortages with a rebound in shipments from pandemic-hit suppliers that may help it claw back around a third of output lost to supply disruptions, three sources familiar with the carmaker's plans said. According to Reuters, Toyota last month cut its production target for the financial year to end-March by 300,000 vehicles to 9 million units because rising COVID-19 infections slowed work at parts factories in Malaysia and Vietnam, compounding a global chip shortage that has forced it and other big automakers to curtail output. The Japanese carmaker has asked suppliers to make up for lost production so it can build an additional 97,000 vehicles between December and the end of March, with some considering additional weekend shifts to do so, said the sources. Read more here (Source: Reuters). 

Penske, Hendrick Tops in Online Reputation Study

Penske Automotive Group Inc. and Hendrick Automotive Group outranked their dealership group peers in an online reputation study released Monday, reports Automotive News. Reputation, which helps automotive brands and dealership groups manage online reviews and customer feedback, said Penske ranked first on the list of U.S. public dealership groups, while Hendrick topped the list of U.S. privately held groups. Nissan had the highest score among U.S. nonluxury brands, while Infiniti ranked first among luxury brands, according to Reputation's study. The annual report analyzed 20,000 auto dealerships and brands in the U.S. and Canada, drawing on customer feedback data from Google, Facebook, Twitter, and other online sources, the company said. It also worked with the YouGov research firm on a survey of 1,000 consumers about their vehicle research and purchase habits. Reputation draws its rankings from what it calls its Reputation Score, which measures a company's customer sentiment, visibility, and engagement on a scale of zero to 1,000. Read more here (Source: Automotive News). 

Car Companies – Including Porsche, GM, and Toyota – Have Big 5G Plans

Fast 5G cellular networks are rolling out—and auto makers are figuring out what they can do with all that speed, reports The Wall Street Journal. On a test track in Weissach in southwestern Germany, sports-car maker Porsche AG has been running its Taycan electric sports cars to see how 5G equipment built into the vehicles allows them to exchange data. Porsche is one of a handful of auto makers that have teamed up with telecom carriers to build small, local 5G networks to try out the technology as they develop new car models. High-speed networks are so new that auto makers still need to test, or in some cases design, the equipment they need. But they have big ambitions for the technology: Manufacturers aim to use the high-speed networks to do a host of things, including downloading crucial software updates on the go, updating digital maps with greater speed, and sounding alerts about road conditions. Read more here (Source: The Wall Street Journal). 

CARFAX Tool for Open Safety Recalls Hits Major Milestone

CARFAX announced that its Vehcle Recall Search Service research tool has been used for more than 1 billion vehicles checks, reports Auto Remarketing. The VRSS is a joint effort between CARFAX and the Alliance for Automoitve Innovation, and was designed in an effort to help state governments improve vehicle road satefy. CARFAX said in a news release that this marks a "major milestone" in the ongoing effort to keep car owners and shoppers safe. "This great milestone underscores our growing partnership with the Alliance for Automotive Innovation toward our shared goal of increasing public safety," CARFAX chief executive officer Dick Raines said in a news release. "For more than two decades, CARFAX has never wavered in our commitment to alerting people about open recalls. Combined with the additional recall resources we provide to consumers and CARFAX Advantage dealers, our data indicates more recalled cars are getting fixed." Read more here (Source: Auto Remarketing). 

Toyota Tundra Gets Competitive Fuel Economy, More Power, Refinement

The revamped 2022 Toyota Tundra will boast a pair of new V-6 powertrains, including a hybrid, that offer improved mileage over the discontinued V-8 predecessor, plus a number of interior and technical refinements, including an improved infotainment system, reports Automotive News. The next-generation full-size pickup equipped with a gasoline-powered, twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6, named i-Force, is estimated by Toyota to get 20 mpg combined in 4x2 form, a 5-mpg improvement over the 2021 4x2 with a 5.7-liter V-8 engine. That moves it closer to comparable versions of the 2021 Ford-150 (22 mpg), Chevrolet Silverado (21 mpg) and Ram 1500 Classic (20 mpg). The Tundra will come in six trims: SR, SR5, Limited, Platinum, 1794 Edition and TRD Pro, each with its own distinct grille. Prices will be revealed near launch at the end of the year. Read more here (Source: Automotive News). 

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