Toyota, GM in talks on fuel-cell car joint venture
05-11-05, 05:58 AM
#1
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Toyota, GM in talks on fuel-cell car joint venture
The open bonnet of Toyota's Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle reveals its power unit
TOKYO: Toyota Motor and General Motors, the world's top two automakers, are in talks on a joint venture for fuel-cell vehicles, a report said.
The two companies believe such a joint venture would help them reduce development costs of the environmentally-friendly vehicles, which use hydrogen as their fuel, Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) said.
Toyota is Japan's top automaker and ranked second in the world to GM. The pair already cooperate on research and development in environmental auto technologies.
GM chairman Richard Wagoner is expected to visit Japan this weekend and hold talks with Toyota Motor president Fujio Cho, the public broadcaster said.
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun daily said last week Toyota would likely offer GM cooperation on safety and environmental technologies during the top-level meeting.
Neither Toyota nor GM could be reached for comment.
Cho told reporters Tuesday that he would hold a casual meeting with Wagoner when he comes to visit the World Exposition in western Japan, where Toyota is headquartered, but that no special agenda had been set.
In stark contrast to GM, which took its biggest quarterly net loss in 13 years, Toyota on Tuesday announced it posted record annual sales and profits on robust global sales.
Toyota's net profit rose 0.8 percent to 1.17 trillion yen (11.15 billion dollars) in the year to March 2005, with operating profit up 0.3 percent to 1.67 trillion yen on sales of 18.55 trillion yen, up 7.3 percent.
Its global sales hit a record 7.41 million vehicles during the year, up 10.3 percent, and Toyota projected they would rise further to 7.85 million.
- AFP/ir
source : channelnewsasia
05-11-05, 06:02 AM
#2
Pole Position
If GM & Toyota do end up sharing this technology, I think it's a WIN / WIN situation for consumers as well as the entire automotive industry personally. 
I think it would be a wise move for both sides! 
I think it would be a wise move for both sides!
05-12-05, 07:11 AM
#3
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Thread Starter
More update :
Thursday, May 12, 2005
GM and Toyota reported planning fuel cell venture
Final deal on 'Project Apollo' could be months away
By John O'Dell / Los Angeles Times
The world's two biggest carmakers are deep into plans for a joint venture to build fuel cell systems that would enable them to begin making hydrogen-powered cars.
General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. believe that by combining forces they will send a powerful signal to governments and the fuel industry that the futuristic power plants that use no gasoline or oil aren't so farfetched, insiders say.
And California is a potential location for the venture's research and manufacturing operations.
There is no deal yet, and it could be months before a formal agreement is hashed out, said an automotive source.
But the companies already have picked a name for the enterprise: Project Apollo.
Japan's Kyodo news agency reports that the automakers are expected to discuss the matter at a top-level meeting this weekend in Japan.
GM is working on fuel cell development with Sacramento-based California Fuel Cell Partnership, with several Southern California companies and at its own Advanced Technology Center in Torrance.
Toyota's U.S. sales and marketing headquarters and one of its major research and engineering units are in Torrance. Toyota also operates a small fleet of experimental fuel cell vehicles in the state.
The two automakers jointly operate a major auto assembly plant -- New United Motors Manufacturing Inc. -- in Fremont in the Bay Area.
GM has insisted for years that it will have a commercially viable fuel cell vehicle ready for the market by 2010, and insiders say the company is well ahead of schedule in several key areas. Toyota has been a major proponent of hybrid technology, which combines standard gasoline engines with electric power.
Carmakers see fuel cells as desirable because if they can be perfected, and if a retail fuel distribution system is developed, they would remove the auto industry from much of the debate over air pollution and fossil fuel consumption.
By combining resources, the two industry giants "would have a lot more clout with other decision makers and could help get government and industry more involved," said Lindsay Brooke, an advanced automotive technology analyst at CSM Worldwide in Farmington Hills.
source : detnews
GM and Toyota reported planning fuel cell venture
Final deal on 'Project Apollo' could be months away
By John O'Dell / Los Angeles Times
The world's two biggest carmakers are deep into plans for a joint venture to build fuel cell systems that would enable them to begin making hydrogen-powered cars.
General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. believe that by combining forces they will send a powerful signal to governments and the fuel industry that the futuristic power plants that use no gasoline or oil aren't so farfetched, insiders say.
And California is a potential location for the venture's research and manufacturing operations.
There is no deal yet, and it could be months before a formal agreement is hashed out, said an automotive source.
But the companies already have picked a name for the enterprise: Project Apollo.
Japan's Kyodo news agency reports that the automakers are expected to discuss the matter at a top-level meeting this weekend in Japan.
GM is working on fuel cell development with Sacramento-based California Fuel Cell Partnership, with several Southern California companies and at its own Advanced Technology Center in Torrance.
Toyota's U.S. sales and marketing headquarters and one of its major research and engineering units are in Torrance. Toyota also operates a small fleet of experimental fuel cell vehicles in the state.
The two automakers jointly operate a major auto assembly plant -- New United Motors Manufacturing Inc. -- in Fremont in the Bay Area.
GM has insisted for years that it will have a commercially viable fuel cell vehicle ready for the market by 2010, and insiders say the company is well ahead of schedule in several key areas. Toyota has been a major proponent of hybrid technology, which combines standard gasoline engines with electric power.
Carmakers see fuel cells as desirable because if they can be perfected, and if a retail fuel distribution system is developed, they would remove the auto industry from much of the debate over air pollution and fossil fuel consumption.
By combining resources, the two industry giants "would have a lot more clout with other decision makers and could help get government and industry more involved," said Lindsay Brooke, an advanced automotive technology analyst at CSM Worldwide in Farmington Hills.
source : detnews
05-12-05, 07:13 AM
#4
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Thread Starter
related . . .
GM and Toyota meeting amid fears of a possible U.S. backlash
Officials are wary that growing Japanese strength in auto market could spark protectionist moves
By Yuri Kageyama / AP Business Writer
TOKYO - When the heads of General Motors and Toyota meet this weekend, their concerns couldn't be more different: The U.S. automaker is losing money, while the Japanese rival is more worried about doing too well and setting off a protectionist backlash in America, its biggest overseas market.
Struggling General Motors Corp., the world's top automaker, posted a $1.1 billion loss for the first fiscal quarter ended March 31, and its debt was downgraded to "junk" status last week. Toyota Motors Corp. recorded 291 billion yen, or $2.8 billion, in profit over the same period and commands an edge in an environmental technology called "hybrid."
Fears are emerging in the back of the minds of officials about a replay of the trade friction that unfolded in the "Japan-bashing" 1980s when Japan's booming automakers were blamed for robbing car sales and jobs, prompting outraged American auto workers to smash Japanese cars in symbolic protest.
Japan, which depends on exports for growth, is vulnerable to protectionist moves in the United States, which has threatened to curb Japanese auto imports in the past for alleged unfair trade practices. Tokyo also worries that trade friction could ignite anti-Japanese feelings in America, Japan's most important political and military ally.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday after a meeting with U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donahue that they discussed their concerns about General Motors.
"The auto industry is a symbol of the United States, and we wish the best for GM," Koizumi told reporters, adding that U.S. and Japanese automakers must coexist and prosper together.
Toyota Chairman Hiroshi Okuda caused a stir recently by saying he was considering raising prices on Toyota cars in the United States as well as sharing technological research to help troubled American automakers in an apparent effort to stave off anti-Japanese sentiments.
GM has been losing U.S. market share to Toyota and other Asian rivals and has faced enormous health care and post-retirement liabilities. Ford Motor Co. hasn't fared much better.
Koizumi said he had also met with Okuda, who was very worried about the plight of American automakers, and they agreed on the need to work out cooperative relations.
Toyota confirmed that GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner and Toyota President Fujio Cho are meeting when Wagoner visits the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, where Toyota is based, this weekend.
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan's biggest business daily, reported Thursday that Cho and Wagoner may be discussing Saturday a possible joint venture to produce fuel cell vehicles in the United States although the report denied a deal was imminent.
Fuel cell vehicles send out no pollution because they run on power produced when hydrogen stored as fuel in the car combines with oxygen in the air to make water. Hybrids deliver good mileage by combining an electric motor and gasoline engine.
Earlier this week, Cho played down speculation in media reports that a deal with GM in ecological technology, such as hybrids and fuel cells, is getting hammered out at their weekend meeting. Cho told reporters he often gets together for meals with Wagoner, and he hopes to introduce Toyota president-elect Katsuaki Watanabe.
Toyota and GM already have a partnership, although it does not involve investment stakes in each other. They run an auto plant in California together and have exchanged research before, including a 1999 pact to work on environmental technology together.
GM's spokesman for advanced technology Scott Fosgard has denied any specific talks about a technology pact are planned for this weekend.
In contrast to two decades ago, Japanese automakers are seen as less of a threat in the United States these days and have gradually won acceptance as corporate citizens providing jobs to American workers.
Toyota and other Japanese manufacturers, Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. _ once dwarfed as newcomers next to the Americans in the auto industry _ are now all doing well in U.S. sales. But the Japanese have also made a point of opening plants in the United States and buying U.S.-made parts.
"The decline of the once invincible American auto industry in the face of Japanese competition could set off a nationalistic backlash among American consumers," Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun said in an editorial this week. "There is every reason for Japanese automakers to work hard to avoid unnecessary conflict."
source : detnews
Officials are wary that growing Japanese strength in auto market could spark protectionist moves
By Yuri Kageyama / AP Business Writer
TOKYO - When the heads of General Motors and Toyota meet this weekend, their concerns couldn't be more different: The U.S. automaker is losing money, while the Japanese rival is more worried about doing too well and setting off a protectionist backlash in America, its biggest overseas market.
Struggling General Motors Corp., the world's top automaker, posted a $1.1 billion loss for the first fiscal quarter ended March 31, and its debt was downgraded to "junk" status last week. Toyota Motors Corp. recorded 291 billion yen, or $2.8 billion, in profit over the same period and commands an edge in an environmental technology called "hybrid."
Fears are emerging in the back of the minds of officials about a replay of the trade friction that unfolded in the "Japan-bashing" 1980s when Japan's booming automakers were blamed for robbing car sales and jobs, prompting outraged American auto workers to smash Japanese cars in symbolic protest.
Japan, which depends on exports for growth, is vulnerable to protectionist moves in the United States, which has threatened to curb Japanese auto imports in the past for alleged unfair trade practices. Tokyo also worries that trade friction could ignite anti-Japanese feelings in America, Japan's most important political and military ally.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday after a meeting with U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donahue that they discussed their concerns about General Motors.
"The auto industry is a symbol of the United States, and we wish the best for GM," Koizumi told reporters, adding that U.S. and Japanese automakers must coexist and prosper together.
Toyota Chairman Hiroshi Okuda caused a stir recently by saying he was considering raising prices on Toyota cars in the United States as well as sharing technological research to help troubled American automakers in an apparent effort to stave off anti-Japanese sentiments.
GM has been losing U.S. market share to Toyota and other Asian rivals and has faced enormous health care and post-retirement liabilities. Ford Motor Co. hasn't fared much better.
Koizumi said he had also met with Okuda, who was very worried about the plight of American automakers, and they agreed on the need to work out cooperative relations.
Toyota confirmed that GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner and Toyota President Fujio Cho are meeting when Wagoner visits the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, where Toyota is based, this weekend.
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan's biggest business daily, reported Thursday that Cho and Wagoner may be discussing Saturday a possible joint venture to produce fuel cell vehicles in the United States although the report denied a deal was imminent.
Fuel cell vehicles send out no pollution because they run on power produced when hydrogen stored as fuel in the car combines with oxygen in the air to make water. Hybrids deliver good mileage by combining an electric motor and gasoline engine.
Earlier this week, Cho played down speculation in media reports that a deal with GM in ecological technology, such as hybrids and fuel cells, is getting hammered out at their weekend meeting. Cho told reporters he often gets together for meals with Wagoner, and he hopes to introduce Toyota president-elect Katsuaki Watanabe.
Toyota and GM already have a partnership, although it does not involve investment stakes in each other. They run an auto plant in California together and have exchanged research before, including a 1999 pact to work on environmental technology together.
GM's spokesman for advanced technology Scott Fosgard has denied any specific talks about a technology pact are planned for this weekend.
In contrast to two decades ago, Japanese automakers are seen as less of a threat in the United States these days and have gradually won acceptance as corporate citizens providing jobs to American workers.
Toyota and other Japanese manufacturers, Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. _ once dwarfed as newcomers next to the Americans in the auto industry _ are now all doing well in U.S. sales. But the Japanese have also made a point of opening plants in the United States and buying U.S.-made parts.
"The decline of the once invincible American auto industry in the face of Japanese competition could set off a nationalistic backlash among American consumers," Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun said in an editorial this week. "There is every reason for Japanese automakers to work hard to avoid unnecessary conflict."
source : detnews
05-16-05, 08:12 AM
#5
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
Toyota denies new tech deal after meeting with GM
Associated Press
TOKYO - The heads of Toyota and General Motors met in a courtesy call that reaffirmed a longtime partnership but stopped short of producing any new deals on technology, a Toyota spokesman said Monday.
Visiting General Motors Corp. Chief Executive Richard Wagoner met Saturday with Toyota Motor Corp. President Fujio Cho and president-elect Katsuaki Watanabe over dinner in Toyota city, after Wagoner visited the nearby 2005 World Expo in Aichi.
Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said Wagoner also met with Toyota Honorary Chairman Shoichiro Toyoda. But Nolasco denied Japanese media reports that Cho and Wagoner discussed sharing hybrid technology or setting up a joint venture on fuel cells.
Hybrids produce better mileage than comparable gasoline-engine cars by switching between an electric motor and gas engine. Fuel cell vehicles produce no pollution by running on the power produced when hydrogen stored as fuel combines with oxygen in the air to produce water.
Japanese business daily Nihon Keizai quoted Cho as saying that the two sides did not make any concrete agreements but "we plan to strengthen our partnership with GM."
Toyota and GM already have a partnership but it does not involve investment stakes in each other. They run an auto plant in California together and exchange research under a 1999 pact to jointly develop environmental technology.
The meeting between Cho and Wagoner comes at a time when Toyota's rosy fortunes contrast with GM's losses. After leaving Japan, Wagoner traveled to China, where he is scheduled to speak at a business forum this week.
TOKYO - The heads of Toyota and General Motors met in a courtesy call that reaffirmed a longtime partnership but stopped short of producing any new deals on technology, a Toyota spokesman said Monday.
Visiting General Motors Corp. Chief Executive Richard Wagoner met Saturday with Toyota Motor Corp. President Fujio Cho and president-elect Katsuaki Watanabe over dinner in Toyota city, after Wagoner visited the nearby 2005 World Expo in Aichi.
Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said Wagoner also met with Toyota Honorary Chairman Shoichiro Toyoda. But Nolasco denied Japanese media reports that Cho and Wagoner discussed sharing hybrid technology or setting up a joint venture on fuel cells.
Hybrids produce better mileage than comparable gasoline-engine cars by switching between an electric motor and gas engine. Fuel cell vehicles produce no pollution by running on the power produced when hydrogen stored as fuel combines with oxygen in the air to produce water.
Japanese business daily Nihon Keizai quoted Cho as saying that the two sides did not make any concrete agreements but "we plan to strengthen our partnership with GM."
Toyota and GM already have a partnership but it does not involve investment stakes in each other. They run an auto plant in California together and exchange research under a 1999 pact to jointly develop environmental technology.
The meeting between Cho and Wagoner comes at a time when Toyota's rosy fortunes contrast with GM's losses. After leaving Japan, Wagoner traveled to China, where he is scheduled to speak at a business forum this week.
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