Toyota confirms hybrid 24 Hours of Le Mans race car

Toyota is eyeing a return to the world’s most famous endurance race, the French 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a hybrid race car: a first in the race’s 84-year history. "We want to enter when we are confident of victory," said to Kazuo Okamoto, who heads up the company’s research and development department. [...]

Toyota to nearly double investment in Subaru-maker Fuji

Wednesday’s unconfirmed reports have Toyota nearly doubling its stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, which owns and manufactures Subaru vehicles. In 2005, Toyota acquired 8.7 percent of FHI, and it is expected to increase that stake to 17 percent shortly. The move would infuse FHI with about $275 million in cash that would be partly [...]

March, first quarter sales slump for Big 3, Toyota

March has seen U.S. vehicle sales declines from the Detroit big three that are Chrysler, Ford and GM as well as the giant from Japan that is Toyota, no doubt a result of rising fuel prices and an economy that seems to be on a crash course. It was GM’s worst March since it [...]

Toyota to build fifth engine plant in Japan

Toyota has announced that it will soon be opening the doors to its fifth engine plant in Japan. Toyota will invest $505.1 million in the new plant, which should be online by 2011. Toyota has yet to announce exactly which engine it will produce at the new plant — which will be built in [...]

Toyota opens mall in Japan to boost sales

New car sales are expected to take a turn for the worse in the U.S. this year, but 2008 could be even rougher on the Japanese auto market. This year, Japan’s new car sales are expected to total just 5.3 million units — a 27-year low. But Toyota, which owns almost 50 percent of [...]