Archive for August, 2011

Mazda officially announced to produce small car, known as Mazda Demio2 (Japanese name Demio) in Vietnam from Oct 2011 due to the exchange rate. The aim to produce 2000 unit in a year. All the parts will be exported out of Japan to the joined venture company in Vietnam.

Mazda has just begun selling in Vietnam in early March this year, “having a population of 90 million around the following 30s, growth potential in the future” (director Yuji Nakamine) were determined.

Mazda is planning to raise more than 40-50% from the current ratio to total worldwide sales in emerging countries by 2015, has as one of the important markets in Southeast Asia in particular. Enhanced local production also aims to respond to the rapid appreciation of the yen. Mazda, in Malaysia in January this year, “Mazda3 (Axela in Japan),” Production (3,000 units) began, considering that the start of assembly production in Indonesia.

Nissan Motor Co. plans to fill the majority of its top-ranking posts with non-Japanese by the end of fiscal 2016, according to sources.

Non-Japanese officials, such as directors and presidents of overseas units, currently account for 44 people of Nissan’s 100 executives. The automaker intends to hire talented local people at its overseas units to accelerate its global advancement strategy, the sources said.

Domestic companies seldom allow a majority of executive positions to be occupied by non-Japanese. Industry observers have pointed out that other Japanese companies could follow Nissan’s lead.

Currently, four out of nine Nissan directors at its headquarters are not Japanese, and nearly three-quarters of executive positions at its overseas subsidiaries have been filled with non-Japanese.

At Nissan, it is mandatory that English is spoken at meetings if at least one non-Japanese person is in attendance.

The nation’s second-largest automaker has also introduced a personnel management system in which employees are promoted and paid based on ability and performance, regardless of nationality.

The automaker has drawn up a midterm management plan in which it aims to boost global sales from the current 4 million units annually to more than 7 million units by the end of fiscal 2016. The company apparently views more non-Japanese executives as essential to reaching this goal.

Yutaka Suzuki, chief economist at Daiwa Institute of Research, said: “Less than 5 percent of listed domestic companies have non-Japanese executives at their headquarters. Nissan’s move may increase employment [in other companies] of non-Japanese people [for executive posts].”

Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co. have reached a preliminary agreement to jointly develop a hybrid system for sport-utility vehicles and light trucks.

The formal agreement is expected by next year, the companies said Monday in a joint statement.

The automakers will individually integrate the jointly developed technology into their vehicles.

In March 2004, Ford licensed hybrid technology from Toyota and has since developed its own hybrid vehicles by taking advantage of Toyota’s patented expertise in motors and engines.

However, the U.S. automaker apparently believes that working together with Toyota, which has advanced hybrid technology, would be more beneficial.

According to the statement, Toyota and Ford also have agreed to collaborate in the development of standards for built-in communications systems used in vehicles such as plug-in hybrids.