Daniel Leussink

Toyota Motor said on Wednesday its worldwide production fell for an eighth straight month in September, as both sales and output declined in its two biggest markets, the United States and China.

Tesla will start selling its Powerwall home battery system in Japan through electronics store chain Yamada Denki, the Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday.

Nissan cut planned production by a third at its top Japanese plant this month, a move that will also see it slash output of a flagship crossover model, two people said, as it struggles with weak U.S. demand for its ageing line-up.

Toyota Motor's small car unit Daihatsu Motor has decided to halt production at all its domestic plants until the end of January, the Nikkei business daily said on Friday, without citing sources.

Harmonic Drive Systems <a href=“https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/6324.T” target=“_blank”>(6324.T)</a>, a Japanese maker of speed reducers, said on Wednesday that Toyota Motor <a href=“https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/7203.T” target=“_blank”>(7203.T)</a> will sell its entire stake in the company in the open market overseas.

Japan’s Toyota Motor <a href=“https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/7203.T” target=“_blank”>(7203.T)</a> is partially suspending production at its plant in Tianjin, China, the Jiji news service reported on Friday, as global automakers face strong sales competition in the world’s top auto market.

Nissan Motor <a href=“https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/7201.T” target=“_blank”>(7201.T)</a> and Honda Motor <a href=“https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/7267.T” target=“_blank”>(7267.T)</a> on Thursday said they expect higher profits this year than previously forecast, a sign of how Japan’s automakers are seeing some benefit from a weak yen currency and a recovery in sales.

Japan’s Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) <a href=“https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/9432.T” target=“_blank”>(9432.T)</a> plans to test driverless vehicle technology with Toyota Motor <a href=“https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/7203.T” target=“_blank”>(7203.T)</a> and invest in a U.S. startup developing self-driving systems, a spokesperson for the telecommunications firm said on Monday.

Panasonic Holdings <a href=“https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/6752.T” target=“_blank”>(6752.T)</a>, which supplies Tesla <a href=“https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/TSLA.O” target=“_blank”>(TSLA.O)</a>, said on Monday it had cut automotive battery production in Japan in the September quarter and shrank the division’s annual profit forecast by 15%, underscoring a global slowdown in EV sales.

Toyota Motor <a href=“https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/7203.T” target=“_blank”>(7203.T)</a> said on Monday that worldwide production rose 1.5% in September from the same period a year earlier to 900,919 vehicles, boosted by stronger demand in Japan, the United States and in Europe.