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Toyota, Nissan, Honda will work together on hydrogen filling stations

Japan's own version of the Big Three is taking on a transportation effort that's a far cry from the large-engined history of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. In fact, Toyota, Nissan and Honda are looking to do their part – and maybe a little more – for the environment by working together to collaborate on accelerating the deployment of hydrogen fuel delivery in Japan. More refueling stations means more convenience for prospective hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle owners. Toyota says the specifics, including investment amount and the number of stations to be deployed, will be "determined at a later date." Still, the effort dovetails with that of the Japanese government. That government announced a so-called Strategic Road Map for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells last June and subsequently said it would start offering about $20,000 worth of incentives for fuel cell vehicle buyers. In December, Toyota started selling its first mass-produced fuel cell vehicle, the Mirai, in Japan and said it would almost triple production to 2,000 vehicles in 2016 from 700 this year. Last month, the Tokyo government began talks with Toyota and Honda to collaborate on ensuring that there'd be at least 6,000 fuel-cell vehicles on Japan's roads in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Tokyo officials are looking to have 100,000 fuel-cell vehicles on the city's roads by 2025. Check out Toyota's press release below. Toyota, Nissan, and Honda to Jointly Support Hydrogen Station Infrastructure Development Toyota Motor Corporation, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. have agreed to work together to help accelerate the development of hydrogen station infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). Specific measures to be undertaken by the three manufacturers will be determined at a later date. For hydrogen-fueled FCVs to gain popularity, it is not only important that attractive products be launched-hydrogen station infrastructure must also be developed. At present, infrastructure companies are making every effort to build such an infrastructure, but they face difficulties in installing and operating hydrogen stations while FCVs are not common on the road. Following the formulation of its Strategic Road Map for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in June 2014, the Japanese government has highlighted the importance of developing hydrogen station infrastructure as quickly as possible in order to popularize FCVs.

Construction of Lexus' first US assembly line underway

The ES is Lexus' top-selling sedan, but the Japanese luxury marque has never manufactured it outside of Japan. In fact, Lexus has never made any cars in the United States, one of its largest markets worldwide. But that's about to change.
Yesterday, construction began in Georgetown, Kentucky, on the first Lexus assembly line in America, the first concrete (or steel) step in a $360-million expansion of Toyota's plant in the Bluegrass state that will create 750 new jobs. The expansion was announced last April by chief executive Akio Toyoda at the New York Auto Show.
Once the new assembly line gets online in the fall of next year, Toyota plans on building some 50,000 units of the ES each year. Lexus sold a record 72,581 examples of the ES in the United States last year - 30 percent more than the previous year - so Lexus will either have to import some more from overseas or leave some buyers disappointed.

Toyota announces production increase for Mirai fuel cell vehicle

Toyota is building them. People are coming. So Toyota's going to build some more. Cue the strings. The Japanese automaker apparently got more than it bargained for after starting sales of its first mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle last month. On Thursday, Toyota announced plans to ramp up production starting next year. Toyota will build 700 Mirai units this year, and will then bump that to 2,000 vehicles next year and 3,000 in 2017. The previous production plan had the same numbers, except for what would happen in 2017. The increase is coming because Toyota's already received pre-orders for 1,500 Mirai vehicles. With US and European sales slated to start later this year, Toyota didn't want to leave itself short-stocked. Toyota confirmed what was already being surmised last month by the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, which said that Toyota was ready to spend almost $170 million boosting production capacity of the Mirai. Most of this year's sales will be in Japan, with the US and Europe gradually accounting for a larger chunk starting next year. In November, the automaker disclosed details of the Mirai's initial US sales, saying that the model will be available in California this year for either a base price of $57,500 or a lease price of $499 a month for 36 months (with $3,649 due at signing). And if that sounds steep, remember that the hydrogen refueling, wherever it can be found, is free for as long as three years. Check out Toyota's press release on the bumps in production below. Toyota to Increase 'Mirai' Production Toyota City, Japan, January 22, 2015-Toyota Motor Corporation today announced that it will increase production of the "Mirai" fuel cell sedan, which launched in Japan on December 15, 2014. The new plan calls for production to increase from the 2015 level of 700 units to approximately 2,000 units in 2016 and approximately 3,000 units in 2017. Considering the approximately 1,500 orders received in the first month of sales in Japan, and the upcoming launches in Europe and the United States later this year, it was decided that the supply structure should be adjusted to reflect the level of demand for the vehicle. Sales plans for Japan, the U.S. and Europe following the production increases will be formulated taking into consideration each region's level of hydrogen infrastructure development, energy policies, car-purchasing subsidies, consumer demand, environmental regulations, and other factors.