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Toyota has 200 orders for 2016 Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car

Toyota built 500 Lexus LFA supercars between 2010 and 2012 in what Automotive News has called a "secretive workshop." The automaker has been wondering what to do with that production line since the last LFA rolled off in December 2012 and, like so much else for Toyota these days, the answer is a hydrogen car – and in about the same small numbers. The 200 Mirai orders are "mostly from government and corporate fleets." – Masamoto Maekawa The 2016 Mirai fuel cell vehicle will go into production later this month at the old LFA workshop, which is located behind Toyota's Motomachi assembly plant in Toyota City. The skilled workers there have been doing other things (like building bicycles) since the last LFA was finished and now Automotive News says they will hand-build the Mirai so that the car can get the attention to detail Toyota wants and because there won't be that many of the hydrogen cars made for a while. Toyota has already said it will sell only 3,000 Mirai FCVs in the US by the end of 2017 (it won't arrive here until late 2015, with deliveries in Japan starting earlier). With 200 orders already in and a plan to build only 700 in 2015, Toyota is already talking about delivery delays. Toyota's executive vice president for domestic sales, Masamoto Maekawa, said that, "the 200 orders are mostly from government and corporate fleets." Production could remain at LFA Works for a while. One Toyota exec said that even if the company makes 2,000 Mirais a year, that would still be only 10 each day. Doesn't sound like there's going to be anyone working weekends for a while.

Trump declaration they're a security threat stuns Japanese automakers

TOKYO — Japan's automakers' lobby said on Tuesday it was dismayed by President Donald Trump's declaration that some imported vehicles and parts posed a threat to U.S. national security, as the industry braces for a possible rise in U.S. tariffs. Trump made the unprecedented designation of foreign vehicles on Friday but delayed for up to six months a decision on whether to impose tariffs to allow for more time for trade talks with Japan and the European Union. "We are dismayed to hear a message suggesting that our long-time contributions of investment and employment in the United States are not welcomed," said Akio Toyoda, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. "As chairman, I am deeply saddened by this decision," Toyoda, president of Toyota, said in a statement. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25% on imported cars made by foreign automakers, a move which automakers have argued would ramp up car prices, curb the global competitiveness of U.S.-made vehicles and limit investment in the country, the world's No. 2 auto market. The United States is a vital market for Toyota, Nissan, Honda and other Japanese car makers. Autos and components are among the Asian country's biggest export products. Most of Japan's major automakers operate plants in the United States. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association notes that its automakers build about 4 million vehicles a year in North America, or 75 percent of what it sells here. Many are built for export, helping lessen the U.S. trade deficit Trump is concerned about. Major automakers have announced a slew of investments in the United States since Trump took office in January 2017 and put pressure on the industry to create more U.S. jobs. For its part, Toyota has pledged to invest almost $13 billion in the United States between 2017 and 2021 to boost manufacturing capacity and jobs. This includes $1.6 billion for a vehicle assembly plant in Alabama jointly run with Mazda. Government/Legal Honda Mazda Mitsubishi Nissan Toyota Trump

At meeting with automakers, Trump launches new attack on NAFTA

WASHINGTON — Ten American and foreign automakers went to the White House on Friday to push for a weakening of U.S. fuel efficiency standards through 2025, while President Donald Trump used the occasion to launch a fresh attack on the North American Free Trade Agreement that has benefited the companies. A draft proposal circulated by the U.S. Transportation Department would freeze fuel efficiency requirements at 2020 levels through 2026, rather than allowing them to increase as previously planned. Trump's administration is expected to formally unveil the proposal later this month or in June. "We're working on CAFE standards, environmental controls," Trump told reporters at the top of the meeting, referring to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for cars and light trucks in the United States. Trump said he wants automakers to build more vehicles in the United States and export more vehicles. But much of the hour-long meeting focused on NAFTA. Trump blasted the pact involving the United States, Canada and Mexico as "terrible" and noted that negotiations to make changes sought by his administration were ongoing. "NAFTA has been a horrible, horrible disaster for this country and we'll see if we can make it reasonable," Trump said. Automakers have called NAFTA a success, allowing them to integrate production throughout North America and make production competitive with Asia and Europe, and have noted the increase in auto production over the past two decades with the deal in place. They have warned that changing NAFTA too much could prompt some companies to move production out of the United States. The chief executives of General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co, Fiat Chrysler, along with senior U.S. executives from Toyota Motor Corp, Volkswagen AG, Hyundai Motor Co, Nissan Motor Co, Honda Motor Co , BMW AG and Daimler AG met with Trump, as did the chief executives of two auto trade groups. Major automakers reiterated this week they do not support freezing fuel efficiency requirements but said they want new flexibility and rule changes to address lower gasoline prices and the shift in U.S. consumer preferences to bigger, less fuel-efficient vehicles.