japan


Return of Paperboy? Honda unveils Bicycle Simulator

You remember Nintendo's Paperboy, right? Back in Triassic era of videogames, you had to deliver the day's print to the right house while not getting run over by a car or taken out by a tire. Not exactly the most direct way to learn bicycle safety, but it was fun. A more efficient way to stay safe on a bicycle is Honda's new simulator, which aims to teach two-wheeled folks better on-the-road safety. Traffic fatalities have fallen in Japan but bicycle fatalities have apparently risen, with teens and older riders the biggest victims. ... Read more →

REPORT: Honda likely to build Fit in the U.S. Jonny Lieberman

What goes up, must come down. And in this situation, Japan's yen has gone up when compared to our dollar -- about eight percent since August. And with the yen's rise in value, the profitability of ...

JDM Retrofuturism: Mitsuoka launches updated New Viewt Jonathon Ramsey

You know that unique thing that Mitsuoka does? If not, see for yourself. And here's another example of it: the new Viewt. Originally introduced in 1993, the Viewt is a Nissan Micra underneath what ...

SPOILER ALERT: Getting down to the point at the Japanese Grand Prix Noah Joseph

Underdogs turned front-runners. Grands prix won by six different drivers. Four teams switching their lineups midseason. A multiple world champion (quite nearly) returning to the grid. A team ...

Grassroots Motorsports' Tim Suddard picks ten future Japanese collector cars Jonny Lieberman

"Everybody wants to go to the dance, no one wants to stay and clean up." So says Robert De Niro's Sam in John Frankenheimer's spy thriller/car porno Ronin. We mention the line, because it's not ...

REPORT: Toyota increases 2009-2010 global sales forecast by 3% 2 months ago on Autoblog

There have been subtle signs that demand for new cars and trucks are improving. Several automakers plan to increase production over the next few months, and Toyota is no different. Reuters is reporting that the World's Largest Automaker has raised its sales forecast by 3% to 6.7 million units ...

REPORT: Mitsuoka to offer unique rental cars in Japan, also plans to sell in China 2 months ago on Autoblog

Mitsuoka, the Japanese car company whose mission seems to be hoarding all the ugly in the entire world and using it to design automobiles, will expand into Japan's rental car market and offer its luxury range in China. Japanese drivers will be able to rent the Orochi for ¥25,000 ($279 US) ...

Respect Your Elders: Suzuki's Kizashi concepts spotted stacked and awaiting crusher? 3 months ago on Autoblog

Old concepts don't die, they just get thrown in a heap and stacked atop one another in some dank lot out back. Actually, we don't know where the lot is located, but we do know it appears to be holding the Suzuki Kizashi, Kizashi 2, and Kizashi 3 – important concepts that the Japanese ...

Toyota cutting production capacity by up to 1 million vehicles? 3 months ago on Autoblog

Japan's Nikkei has reported that Toyota is will cut production by 10% in its next fiscal year, from ten million to nine million vehicles. To do that, Japan's largest automaker is said to be shutting down an entire production line in its home country for a year-and-a-half starting next spring. There ...

Japanese oil, gas companies to tackle hydrogen fueling infrastructure 3 months ago on Autoblog

- A consortium of 13 Japanese oil and gas companies are collaborating in an effort to commercialize technologies enabling convenient refueling of hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2015. Coincidentally (or not), that date goes hand-in-hand with Toyota's target for selling hydrogen vehicles on the ...

Exclusive Zeus gets down with Honda's new Insight 4 months ago on Autoblog

Japanese tuner Exclusive Zeus has done a job on the Honda Insight, so that now you can be green and still be a badass. Part of the company's GLMRS Line, the kit consists of front and rear spoilers, grille, and side skirts fabricated in aluminum – but you'll have to take care of the ...

Mazda releases 20th Anniversary Edition Miata for JDM faithful 4 months ago on Autoblog

Japan gets to celebrate the 20th birthday of the Mazda MX-5/Miata with a special edition for JDM buyers only. The Crystal White Pearl Mica roadster comes in two varieties: an RS soft-top with a 6-speed manual, and a VS hardtop with a 6-speed automatic. Both cars get red-and-black heated ...

UK police replace Imprezas with Lexus IS-F cruisers 4 months ago on Autoblog

Objects you do not want to see in your rear-view mirror: Hungry dinosaurs, pissed-off exes holding rifles, mushroom clouds and this guy. Indeed, you're looking at a Lexus IS-Force, an IS-F that's been converted to a cruiser for police duty in the English county of Humberside, which includes the ...

VIDEO: Tight Fit: Japanese bus company makes the most of its parking lot 4 months ago on Autoblog

Here in the States, unless you live in a city like New York, Chicago or Boston, chances are that on any given day, parking isn't one of your bigger challenges. In smaller, more densely populated countries like Germany or the U.K., finding a spot can be a big issue, and the solution often costs ...

Second That Emotion: Toyobaru re-confirmed for Tokyo Motor Show? 4 months ago on Autoblog

As recently as February, the Toyota/Subaru sports car was declared dead, a week later it was back on, a few weeks after that there were rumblings that it would be at this year's Tokyo Motor Show. Japan's Best Car magazine is apparently reporting that the little car will definitely be revealed in ...

VIDEO: Obligatory Michael Jackson Post - Rare Suzuki Love commercials 4 months ago on Autoblog

Michael Jackson's memorial service is being held today in Los Angeles (apparently sponsored by local Land Rover dealers). For a reminder of who the man was pre-Thriller and where all of this got started, few things could be better than some Suzuki Love scooter commercials that MJ did in way ...

REPORT: Cost cutting leads Toyota to cease hosting Japanese Grand Prix 4 months ago on Autoblog

Toyota finances being what they are, the company is ruthlessly assessing its accounts and making cuts anywhere it deems appropriate. The latest head to roll is the Formula 1 race at Fuji Speedway, Toyota's own circuit. Opened in 1965 and host of the Japanese Grand Prix for the first time in 1976, ...

The wacky, wonderful world of Japanese manhole cover art 5 months ago on Autoblog

Ever roll through some sleepy burg and notice the townsfolk have painted each fire hydrant, recycling bin or park bench as its own work of art? That's one thing... but how about a whole country? Only in Japan, where the same famously zany locals fascinated with sailor costumes and neon lights on ...

REPORT: More foreign automakers skipping Tokyo Motor Show as tally swells to 22 6 months ago on Autoblog

As of Thursday, Porsche and Maserati are the latest two brands to pull out of the biennial Tokyo Motor Show. That brings the tally to 22 foreign brands sitting out the Japanese showcase, leaving Hyundai, Ferrari, and Lotus to duel for import honors. Said a show spokesman, "It is unprecedented to ...

REPORT: Google forced to re-shoot all of Japan's StreetView images [w/POLL] 6 months ago on Autoblog

We happen to love Google StreetView for the fun things that can be found using the free service. Ugly Buicks, Porsches testing in Colorado and even a rare split-window Corvette barn find are just a few of the many, many things uncovered by Google's free service, which snaps 360-degree images at eye ...

Carlos Ghosn vows he won't depart Nissan until it returns to profitability? 6 months ago on Autoblog

Carlos Ghosn became Nissan's chief operating officer in 1999, initially declared that he would remain in the job for a maximum of ten years. At the time, Nissan had $13 billion in debt, a history of losses, and an almost completely forgettable product lineup. Now, on the eve of his ten-year ...

REPORT: Honda to invest in Pioneer electronics 7 months ago on Autoblog

In spite of Honda's $2.91 billion Q1 loss, the Japanese marque knows the investment show must go on, and it's reported to be finalizing a stake in Pioneer. The Japanese electronics maker is shutting down its home electronics division, which has been losing money for years, in order to focus on ...

EX Phone Home: Nissan rebadges Infiniti EX as Skyline Crossover for JDM 7 months ago on Autoblog

Enthusiasts couldn't help but be disappointed when Nissan let slip that plans for a new Infiniti flagship sedan based on the all-conquering GT-R wouldn't see the light of day. What you see here is just the opposite: an Infiniti re-labeled as a Skyline. Truth be told, although the previous ...

Japan reportedly pondering $3,000 green car stimulus program for consumers 8 months ago on Autoblog

The U.S. automotive market is in a rut the size of the Grand Canyon, but it's not alone. Most nations are experiencing lackluster sales, and the Japanese car market is experiencing its own free fall. As a direct result, Reuters is reporting that government authorities are looking at steps to ...

Toyota reportedly cutting Prius price to match Honda Insight in Japan... will U.S. follow? 8 months ago on Autoblog

Toyota may have gotten used to being the leader in the hybrid sedan segment, but the Japanese auto giant didn't get to where it is today by failing to see the writing on the proverbial wall. With arch-rival Honda having priced its new Insight hybrid lower than the current Prius, Toyota is ...

REPORT: Nissan projects $2.9B loss, announces 20,000 job cuts 9 months ago on Autoblog

Nissan hasn't posted an annual loss in nine years, but the automaker is poised to take a big hit on its 2008 earnings, and like the rest of the industry, it is scrambling to restructure. The Japanese carmaker is expected to report a $2.9 billion shortfall, prompting Carlos Ghosn and his team to ...

Mii sought in Japanese hit-and-run 10 months ago on Autoblog

In Japan's Kanagawa prefecture, it looks like you can add 'police sketch artist' the list of occupations being killed by technology. The authorities there evidently skipped the pad and pencil and went straight to the Nintendo Wii when they had to come up with an image of the perpetrator, using the ...

Nissan working on wrong-way warning system 10 months ago on Autoblog

Earlier this week, a 21-year-old driver got on the wrong entrance ramp to the 10 freeway in Los Angeles and ended up going westbound in the eastbound lanes. Doing up to 70 mph in the fast lane, he collided head-on with a police car and he and the officer were killed instantly. Nissan and West ...

REPORT: Toyota to sell decontented current Prius alongside new model in Japan 10 months ago on Autoblog

The current generation Prius has been a big hit in the US and Japan, and the tried and true second-gen. model could live on in Japan after the new hybrid goes on sale this spring. According to reports out of Japan, Toyota will sell a de-contented version of the old Prius to better compete with the ...

GM aims to double sales in Japan by 2011 10 months ago on Autoblog

If you think things have been tough for General Motors in America, you should see how bad it's going for them in Japan. Forget pulling out of the Tokyo Motor Show, we're talking a steady sales decline over the past decade that has brought volume to just 2,000 units a year from a high of 50,000 in ...

Toyota plans 11-day plant shutdown in Japan 11 months ago on Autoblog

Toyota execs must think they're living in the Bizarro World. Think about it: operating losses, plunging sales -- these were terms once reserved for its lowly competitors. Not anymore. Now, Toyota's feeling the sting of a down market along with everyone else and is taking steps to try and stop the ...

Youth in Asia: Japanese sales plunge as young people abandon cars 11 months ago on Autoblog

Japan's car sales are declining, just like they are in most countries. But unlike other markets, auto sales in Japan won't be recovering anytime soon. The sales outlook is so bleak, in fact, that the Japanese automakers even have a word for it: "kuruma banare," or "demotorization." While it may ...

Japanese CEOs sitting out Detroit show, scale back the glitz 11 months ago on Autoblog

Honda and Toyota may not be joining their colleagues at Nissan, Mitsubishi and Suzuki in canceling their participation in this year's Detroit Auto Show, but they still won't be laying on the glitz and glamor that have become the mainstay of past events. For starters, both Honda's and Toyota's ...

Honda could move headquarters outside of Japan 11 months ago on Autoblog

Corporate posturing or not, Honda's Takeo Fukui made his opinions perfectly clear regarding the Japanese government's recent lack of currency manipulation. Fukui, CEO of Honda Motor Co., suggested that the yen's rise in value relative to the currency in the United States and Europe is causing ...

Report: Toyobaru delayed until 2012 or later 11 months ago on Autoblog

The rumors of the sports car that Toyota and Subaru were working on have been replaced by rumors that the car has been put on hold. Earlier news had posited a rear-wheel-drive sports car with "wonderful style," based on the current Subaru Legacy platform, with a boxer engine putting out around 200 ...

Ford to sell Mazda shares to insurers? 1 year ago on Autoblog

While GM is being swamped with the persistent rumors surrounding the addition/dissolution of Chrysler, Ford's rumor mill has been heading in the complete opposite direction. It appears Volvo is on the way out of Dearborn, but Mazda may be sneaking through the exit first. Recent reports since ...

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Autoblog Podcast #155: 'Twas the night before LA...

Chris, Dan, and Editor Paukert go over some LA Preview action and quietly whoop it up on the podcast.

 
 

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