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Toyota, Mazda drop Takata as Mitsubishi, Subaru weigh options

It's not a very good time to be Takata right now. Fresh on the heels of longtime partner Honda ditching them, Toyota and Mazda have both come out and said they will not use the company's airbag inflators if they continue to rely on ammonium nitrate. Bloomberg reports that Subaru and Mitsubishi are also contemplating a divorce. "The inflator using ammonium nitrate produced by Takata will not be adopted by Toyota," President Akio Toyoda said during a briefing today. "What's most important above anything else is the safety and peace of mind of customers." Mazda echoed that position, simply saying it "will not use Takata airbag inflators which contain ammonium nitrate in our new cars." When you lose three huge OEM accounts in as many days, it's certainly going to have a deleterious effect on your fortunes. In Takata's case, that's meant a staggering 39-percent drop in their share price over the last three days. Yesterday alone, the company saw a 6.2-percent fall, Bloomberg reports. As the business publication reports, though, Takata isn't going down without a fight. The company is "considering some plans to survive," including a fundraising plan that will see it potentially offer up additional shares for sale. Still, at least one analyst doesn't see whatever company survives staying involved in the airbag inflator business. "I really don't see how they're going to be able to survive as an inflator manufacturer," Valient Market Research founder Scott Upham told Bloomberg. "When your major clients publicly come out and say that they're not going to use your products anymore, it makes this very difficult to sustain your business." News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Carlos Osorio / AP Honda Mazda Mitsubishi Subaru Toyota Safety supplier

Next-generation Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ confirmed

Toyota and Subaru jointly announced today that they would be continuing and expanding their alliance. Toyota will be taking a larger stake in Subaru, bringing the total to 20%, and Subaru will respond in kind by buying shares equal to the value of those purchased by Toyota. In terms of product, the two companies will reportedly swap knowledge in the development of all-wheel-drive systems, battery-electric powertrains and connected/autonomous driving technologies. Oh, and there will be a next-generation Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ. Despite less-than-stellar sales, the two companies confirmed that the rear-wheel-drive Toyabaru twins will be returning for a sequel. No details about them were provided, but a second-generation has widely been speculated and reported, with Australia's Motor quoting Supra chief engineer Tatsuya Tada confirming as such. "We have a new 86 team," he told Motor. "We have to make a new 86 that surpasses the Supra ... that is what the customer expects." Beyond that, there is rampant speculation of where the rear-drive platform will originate (a derivative of Toyota's TNGA platform, something boosted from Mazda, aliens), as well as what might find its way under the hood (virtually anything would be better than what's there now). A Japanese publication even suggested it might even be previewed next month at the Tokyo Motor Show.  In any event, expect the next-generation Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 to be a continuous source of interest for the next few years.  Subaru Toyota Coupe Future Vehicles Performance

Subaru sells 2 millionth Outback in U.S.

Subaru just sold its 2 millionth Outback in the U.S. The Outback is Subaru's most popular vehicle, and the brand's sales growth in recent years means it took far less time to reach the 2 million mark as it did to sell the first million (from 1995 to 2011). Currently in its fifth generation, the Outback is built in Lafayette, Ind., and the 2 millionth example was sold at Subaru Pacific in Hawthorne, Calif. Andrew Simpson is the new owner (that's him in the center in the photo below), and a host of Subaru's top executives were there to close the deal and to give Simpson a few gifts the buyer of Outback No. 1,999,999 apparently didn't get. Best of all, there was a charitable donation to the Grades of Green program on his behalf from the automaker's environmental philanthropy arm, Subaru Loves the Earth. The second millionth Outback is worth a look back 24 years down the long rutted trail it has traveled, with bragging rights over SUVs strewn along the way. It all started in 1995, with "Crocodile Dundee" Paul Hogan offering "a ripper deal": This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Hogan did Outback commercials for years. But this may be the first instance of dogs as Subaru pitchmen: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Here's a pretty great extended commercial with Daniel Tosh, "proud Subaru owner." For once he's not kidding. He even held a contest on "Tosh 2.0" to give his 2011 Outback away to a viewer: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This one is wrapped in a Snuggie: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In recent years, in the "Love, it's what makes a Subaru a Subaru" era, there has been a focus on the Outback's reputation for safety. This ad pulls a heartstring: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. And finally, a toast from the Barkleys (in "two completely different voices"), to you, Subaru Outback, and your many loyal customers, including the 2 millionth: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.