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Toyota, Ford not interested in FCA merger

Sergio Marchionne will preach the benefits of mergers to anyone who'll listen, but his calls for industry consolidation may be falling on deaf ears. At least, that is, the ears of those who the Fiat Chrysler chief would most like to bend. Not only is General Motors uninterested, but according to The Detroit News, neither are Toyota or Ford. "It's something we would not be interested in," said Toyota's North American chief Jim Lentz, at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Toyota Technical Center. "At 10 million (vehicles) we have enough scale right now to do what we need to do. There really would be no advantage for us." Toyota isn't the only one unenthused by the prospect of merging with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The Detroit News also reports that Ford, though it may yet to have been approached by Marchionne, wouldn't be interested either. "We're not a suitor for FCA," said Ford CFO Bob Shanks. "We don't see that type of opportunity as one that applies to us." With GM, Toyota, and Ford expressing disinterest in Marchionne's merger idea, the FCA chief will likely start looking elsewhere – or look for other ways to compel his primary candidate to reconsider. He may eventually find a partner – more likely in the Far East or within Europe – but it may not take the form of the major player Sergio has hoped for. News Source: The Detroit NewsImage Credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Chrysler Fiat Ford Toyota Sergio Marchionne FCA merger fiat chrysler automobiles

Toyota puts three-wheeled i-Road into public tests in Japan [w/video]

The lucky citizens of Japan are getting it now, and some folks in France will join the fray later this year, but that's about it for public, leaning-trike fun. The car in question is Toyota's three-wheeled i-Road concept electric vehicle. And in addition to being really narrow and quite environmentally friendly, this little EV leans quite a bit when it scoots around curves. Earlier this week, the Japanese automaker started testing the super-narrow vehicles in Toyota City, Japan. They're part of a broader scheme called "Ha:mo" in which people can link shared vehicles with public transportation systems to get around with minimal environmental impact. Grenoble, France, will be the recipient of some i-Road EVs for a vehicle-sharing project that starts later this year. The i-Road weigh about 660 pounds, is less than a yard wide and has a 28 mile per hour top speed. The i-Road was first shown off at the Geneva Motor Show early last year and shortly thereafter was the subject of a groovy video that showed a group of four cruising and leaning through the streets of a Mediterranean village in France. Check out Toyota's video on the vehicle-testing program and the official press release below and read our driving impressions here. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Changing Mobility and Lives, Three Wheels at a Time Residents of Toyota City, Japan, might be wondering what they just saw on the street. If it had three wheels and was leaning around a corner, it was the "i-Road", Toyota's ultra-compact all-electric, all-fun concept. On Sunday, the i-Road, which weighs a mere 300 kg and is less than 90 cm wide, was let loose on public roads at an event to mark its introduction into "Ha:mo", Toyota's optimized urban transport system. Soon, even more i-Roads will be zooming around Toyota city when they are made available to residents at vehicle-sharing stations. And later this year the lucky residents of Grenoble, France, will also be able to have some three-wheeled fun, thanks to a vehicle-sharing project that will last until 2017. Besides being an absolute blast to drive, how could the i-Road actually help you out? Well, picture the following: You just got off work. You get a phone call. You need to get across town, pronto, because your wife just went into labor. But your car is in the shop, there's no time to call a taxi, and your co-workers with cars are stuck doing overtime.

These are the fastest-selling new cars of 2024

Automakers finally appear to be back on their feet after a few years of severe instability, but that hasn’t helped all of them in the sales department. iSeeCars recently released its study on the fastest- and slowest-selling new vehicles and found that some companies are moving vehicles off dealersÂ’ lots at more than twice the pace of others. Toyota was the fastest-selling new car brand between October 2023 and March 2024, moving vehicles in an average of 39.6 days. Surprisingly, Alfa Romeo came second, averaging 41.8 days on the market. Last year, we saw a list of the fastest-selling individual nameplates overall, as opposed to this study that's ranked by brand. Fastest-selling new cars of 2024 Toyota: 39.6 days on the market Alfa Romeo: 41.8 Cadillac: 43.4 Honda: 44.2 Jaguar: 44.4 Kia: 47 Hyundai: 47.1 Subaru: 49 BMW: 49.1 Mazda: 53.1 The brands moving inventory the fastest show a strong value and desirability for buyers. iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer noted, “Fast-selling brands like Toyota and Honda represent mainstream consumers seeking maximum value for their new-car dollar. Conversely, high-ranking luxury, low-volume brands like Alfa Romeo, Cadillac, and Jaguar reflect both their limited supply as well as high demand from affluent buyers willing to snap these models up shortly after they arrive on dealer lots.” Of course, there is no light without darkness, and on the other side of the list are a handful of brands struggling to move inventory. Lincoln was the slowest-selling new car company, with an average of 82.6 days to sell. Infiniti was close behind at 79.8 days, and Buick took an average of 79 days to move units. iSeeCars noted that new EVs take much longer to sell than their hybrid counterparts, at an average of 70.6 days on the market in March 2024, compared to just 49.5 for hybrids. Some of the fast-selling new brands also made the used car list. Used Hondas sold the fastest, only sitting on dealersÂ’ lots for an average of 26.1 days. LexusÂ’ used cars sat for 26.3 days, and Toyota moved its used inventory in an average of 27.4 days. By the Numbers Green Alfa Romeo Cadillac Toyota Car Buying