BorgWarner Inc. is embarking on an electric powertrain strategy. With strengthened environmental regulations in various countries pushing companies toward vehicle electrification, the major U.S. auto parts manufacturer responded last year by acquiring Remy International Inc., a company engaged in drive motors. BorgWarner now is looking to expand its business surrounding vehicle electrification in China and...
china
Honda Looks to Quadruple Acura Sales, Expand Store Network in China
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) has announced that it plans to quadruple the sales of its Acura luxury brand in China, selling 30,000 units per year from 2020 onward. As part of this initiative, Honda will ramp up its promotion of the brand in an attempt to reach a wider customer base and gain a...
NGK Insulators to Build New GPF Factory in China, Increase Production Capacity Six-Fold
NGK Insulators Ltd. (TYO:5333) announced on July 26 that the company will build a new production plant for gasoline particulate filters (GPFs) in Suzhou, China. GPFs are used in gasoline engine vehicles to remove particulate matter (PM). The amount of NGK Insulators’ capital investment for the new plant is around 33 billion yen ($297.29 million)...
Hino to Offer Chinese Market New Trucks at 10% Cheaper Cost
Hino Motors Ltd. (TYO:7205) has announced that it will release new trucks for the Chinese market in 2018–2019, developed with a focus on reducing costs. The company hopes that increased local procurement and other such measures will allow it to cut the prices of its trucks by approximately 10 percent. Hino began manufacturing heavy-duty trucks...
Nissan Makes Full-Fledged Effort to Increase EV Sales in China
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7201) has announced a full-fledged effort to increase its sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in China, developing new SUV and sedan EVs exclusively for the Chinese market. In addition to introducing these new EV models as Nissan brands in 2018, the company will also add local Chinese brand, Venucia, to its...
Bosch to Produce New 48V Automotive Battery in China
Robert Bosch GmbH will be producing the battery for the company’s 48-volt drive unit in China from 2018. With plans this year to begin supplying a 48-volt mild hybrid motor for Mercedes-Benz vehicles, Bosch is looking at developing a framework that would allow the company itself to supply these batteries and strengthen its parts business...
METI–China Vice-Ministers Discuss Rules for Automobile and Parts Sales
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) recently held vice ministerial-level talks with the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China (MOFCOM). In discussions pertaining to the automobile sector, the officials exchanged views on rules for the sale of automobiles in China and after-sales parts. The vice ministerial talks are conducted once...
Nissan Eyes Selling 1M Cars More in China, Plans to Build New Factory
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7201) will increase its automobile sales target in China by at least 1 million units under the company’s next medium-term business plan, running through March 31, 2023. In line with this, the company plans to build what would be its ninth Chinese plant. Nissan is aiming to increase its global market...
Toyoda Gosei to Quadruple Production Capacity for Plastic Fuel Filler Pipes
Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. (TYO:7282) announced on June 26 that it will increase its production capacity for plastic fuel filler pipes at its two plants in Japan and the U.S. The company will invest approximately 2 billion yen ($17.82 million) to bring in molding machines and assembly machines, seeking to increase the combined capacity of...
Honda Moves Toward Domestic Procurement for New Chinese-Market EV
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) will begin locally procuring batteries and motors for an electric vehicle (EV) to be launched exclusively for the Chinese market in 2018. Thus far, Honda has supplied batteries and motors for hybrid vehicles (HVs) in China with exports from Japan. Utilizing the EV launch as an opportunity, however, the company...
Sawafuji Electric to Ramp up Engine Starter Production in Thailand
Sawafuji Electric Co. Ltd. (TYO:6901) plans within the year to relocate its plant in Thailand to a new location in the country to boost production capacity for engine starters. Getting an increase in orders for the engine starters produced at its Nitta Plant in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, the company will relocate its Thai plant and...
Yachiyo to Boost Sunroof Production in China on Strong Honda Sales
Yachiyo Industry Co. Ltd. (TYO:7298) will double production capacity for automotive sunroofs at its manufacturing base in Wuhan, China, to more than 500,000 units a year. The company is adding a new production line to its existing plant that will start operating within fiscal 2017. Yachiyo has been prompted to boost its production capacity on...
Nissan Targets 16.5 Trillion Yen in Sales Under New Business Plan
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7201) announced on May 11 its new medium-term business plan, which is to run through to fiscal 2022. Based around steady growth and development, the plan seeks in even a harsh economic climate to maintain the automaker’s operating profit margin at 8 percent. While doing so, the company aims to increase...
Panasonic Opens New Automotive LiB Plant in China
Panasonic Corp. (TYO:6752) announced on April 27 that its Chinese JV Panasonic Automotive Energy Dalian Co. Ltd. has completed construction of a new automotive lithium-ion battery (LiB) plant in Dalian, Liaoning Province. The announcement was coupled with an opening ceremony on the day. The plant is Panasonic’s first automotive battery cell production base in China....
Toyota to Test Fuel Cell Cars in China
Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203) announced on April 18 that it will begin demonstration tests of two Mirai fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) this October in China. In conjunction with this, the company will build a hydrogen fueling station at Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing China, the automaker’s the automaker’s R&D center in Changshu, Jiangsu Province. Toyota...
Sekisui Chemical to Boost Polyolefin Foam Production in China
Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4204) recently announced that it will establish a new China-based company for the production of automotive interior polyolefin (PO) foam. Set to be located in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, the new company will be Sekisui Chemical’s second Chinese production subsidiary for PO foam after YoungBo HPP (Langfang) Co. Ltd., Hebei Province. Sekisui...
Mazda Shoots for Stronger Brand in China
Mazda Motor Corp. (TYO:7261) is planning to build a network of next-generation, premium-design dealerships in China. The first of these outlets will be opened in Shanghai this coming summer, with plans to open more in other large metropolitan areas. China has become the fastest growing market in Mazda’s global operations since the automaker switched to...
Tajima Light Metal to Establish Plant in China on High Expectations for Electric Cars
Metal-processing company Tajima Light Metal Co. Ltd. will establish its first plant outside of Japan. The company is set to create a JV for producing sand mold aluminum parts in China with a local Chinese manufacturer. Sand mold casting is suitable for multi-kind, small-volume production of precision parts. Tajima Light Metal aims to attract orders...
Honda Moves to Ramp up Acura Production in China
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) is stepping up local production of its Acura luxury brand models in China. Following on from local production of the Acura CDX compact SUV in 2016, the automaker will start producing the TLX sports sedan this year and the RDX midsize SUV in 2018. China has seen ongoing market growth...
Omron to Increase Production in China on Strong Demand for Electronic Control Units
Omron Automotive Electronics, an Omron Group company engaged in in-vehicle electric parts operations, plans to increase production capacity at its plant in China by approximately 1.5 times. The plant manufactures such parts as electronic control units (ECUs) for electric power steering systems (EPS). The company’s move to increase production capacity comes in an effort to...
TS Tech to Shift Export-Bound Production From China to Bangladesh
TS Tech Co. Ltd. plans to shift the focus of its Chinese business on to internal demand by gradually reducing its exports of trim covers and other automotive parts from the country to the U.S. and Japan. With labor and material costs rising in China, it has become less advantageous as a parts supply base...
GS Yuasa to Launch New Lead Acid Battery Factory in China
GS Yuasa Corp. (TYO:6674) announced on Jan. 19 that it will build a new lead acid automobile battery factory in Tianjin, China, to meet the country’s growing demand for vehicles with functions such as start-stop systems. The company plans to invest about 17.5 billion yen ($153 million) and aims to almost double current revenues. GS...
