Toyota’s mainstay vehicle operations are likely to post their first-ever loss for the fiscal year through March 2009, Japanese media reports said Friday, highlighting the dire conditions faced by global automakers.

The Nikkei, Japan’s top business daily, said Toyota’s standalone operating result will be a loss for the fiscal year ending March 31. It did not cite sources. Kyodo News had a similar report.

The reports said that the Toyota group of companies — including Daihatsu Motor Co., which makes small cars, and truckmaker Hino Motors — will manage to post a profit for the fiscal year through March.

Toyota declined comment on the reports.

Toyota Motor Corp., which makes the popular Camry sedan and Prius gas-electric hybrid, has never reported a full fiscal-year loss since it began disclosing operating profit in 1941.

But Japanese automakers — which had until recently avoided the serious problems of their U.S. rivals — are getting hammered by plunging auto sales in the key U.S. market and elsewhere.

The surging yen, which erodes overseas earnings, have also battered their bottom line. The dollar has fallen to 13-year lows below 90 yen.

Analysts say calculations show that a loss for Toyota alone may be inevitable, given the strong yen and plunging auto sales.

“It looks as though Toyota will fall into red ink for the full year,” said Mamoru Katou, auto analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research. “Things have clearly gotten worse since the earlier outlook of breaking even.”

He noted even Honda Motor Co., which has fewer models, is suffering, and damage to Toyota’s bottom line was unavoidable.

Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe is scheduled to hold a news conference Monday. Usually, the president announces ambitious sales and production goals for the coming year in the annual event.

Grabbing attention in recent years was whether Toyota would dethrone Detroit-based General Motors Corp. as the world’s No. 1 in annual vehicle sales.

But Toyota said Friday it was still undecided whether it will announce such targets this year.

In his annual year-end news conference, Honda President Takeo Fukui said Honda’s worldwide vehicle sales in 2008 are expected to reach 3.77 million units, unchanged from 2007. He did not give a vehicle sales target for 2009 — an unusual move for Honda.

Toyota’s U.S. sales plunged by a third for the year in November, when overall sales fell to their lowest level in more than 26 years.

There is little hope for recovery in the next few months as consumers hold back on big purchases.

Toyota is forecasting a 550-billion yen ($6.2-billion) profit, less than a third of what it racked up the previous fiscal year, on 23 trillion yen ($258.4 billion) sales, down 12.5% percent on the year.

While other automakers scale back, Audi’s product offensive will remain in high gear at the North American International Auto Show next month in Detroit.

In addition to the world premiere of a concept car closely based on the upcoming A7 luxury model, Audi will unveil a 525-horsepower version of its R8 sports car.

The show will also provide Detroit’s first glimpse of Audi’s Q5 compact crossover, a supercharged 300-horsepower version of the A6 midsize sedan and wagon and the blisteringly fast TTS sport coupe and roadster, which wring an amazing 265 horsepower out of a little 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.

Audi will also add another chapter to its fuel-efficiency story with what’s likely to be a diesel version of the A4 sport sedan.

The R8 V10 will accelerate to 60 m.p.h. in less than 3.9 seconds and promises a top speed of about 196 m.p.h. The 5.2-liter engine produces 390.1 pound-feet of torque and transmits its power to the ground through Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system and either a conventional manual or clutchless sequential manual six-speed gearbox.

The A7 concept may be the most eagerly awaited of all the models, however. Audi insiders say the four-door model’s swooping lines mirror those of the upcoming production model.

Source:Freep.com

It’s the season for lists. Not just Christmas shopping lists, but end of the year best car and truck awards lists.

Best redesigned vehicle

The 2009 Ford F-150 was named the best redesigned vehicle for 2009 by Kelley Blue Book

The nine other finalists for the award were (in alphabetical order):

Acura TL

Acura TSX

Audi A4

Dodge Ram

Honda Fit

Mazda6

Nissan Maxima

Nissan Murano

Subaru Forester

CNET tech car of the year

The tech Web site CNET will post the name of its winner the second week of the year.

The finalists and excerpts from the site on why the vehicles made the list:

2008 BMW M3 Convertible DCT

“The DCT, BMW’s new dual-clutch transmission, is a tech standout.”

2008 Infiniti EX35 Journey

“Driver aids that keep you from drifting out of your lane and a set of cameras that help you park in tight spaces.”

2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie

“Truck packs all the latest cabin tech, including a rear-seat entertainment system with satellite TV and hard drive-based navigation that shows traffic.

2009 Lincoln MKS

“A THX audio system, Sync MP3 player and phone integration, and Sirius Travel Link, which lets you see traffic, weather and gas prices on the navigation screen.”

2009 Nissan GT-R

“An incredible package of performance tech that wrings amazing horsepower out of a six-cylinder engine.”

International car and truck of the year

Presented by Road & Travel magazine Jan. 10 at the MGM Grand Detroit. The 2009 ceremony is also the debut of the Earth, Wind & Power Awards, which will honor the most environmentally friendly vehicles for Car and Truck of the Year. This differs from the North American Car and Truck of the Year, which will be named Jan. 11.

International car of the year

Dodge Challenger

Ford Flex

Nissan GT-R

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2009 Honda Insight Hybrid to Make World Debut at the North American International Auto Show

The all-new 2009 Honda Insight hybrid will make its world debut in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The five-passenger, five-door Insight is expected to be the most affordable hybrid car available when it goes on sale in the spring of 2009.

The Insight is expected to have annual global sales of 200,000 units per year – approximately 100,000 in North America – and will utilize a new interactive, driver-focused fuel economy enhancement technology named the Ecological Drive Assist System (Eco Assist™).

A leader in the development of cleaner, more fuel-efficient mobility products, Honda introduced to market the first mass produced low-emission gasoline vehicles; America’s first commercially produced gas-electric hybrid car and the world’s first EPA-certified hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, the FCX. In 2007, Honda was named “greenest automaker” by the Union of Concerned Scientists for the fourth straight time.

Thx Special Source : newcar-network.org

Thx source : newcar-network.org

General Motors Corp. today announced temporary shutdowns and plans to indefinitely lay off about 3,600 workers at 10 plants beginning early next year.

GM said nine plants have been scheduled for an additional down week each, with a tenth plant seeing two additional down weeks.

Reduced production will begin at all 10 plants in January or February.

Spokesman Tony Sapienza said the changes are intended to better align production with the recent steep decline in U.S. consumer demand for new vehicles.

The following GM plants will be affected by the additional week of shut down and lower line rates.

– Lansing Delta Township: makes Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook; down week of Jan. 5; production of Enclave and Acadia slows Jan. 12.

– Oshawa: makes Chevrolet Impala, down week of Jan. 5; production slows Jan. 12

– Hamtramck: makes Cadillac DTS, Buick Lucerne; down week of Jan. 5; production slows Jan. 12

– Wentsville: makes GMC Savanna and Chevrolet Express; down week of Jan. 5; production slows Jan. 12

– Bowling Green: makes Cadillac XLR and Chevrolet Corvette; down weeks of Jan. 5 and Jan. 12; production slows Jan. 20

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The U.S. auto parts industry asked the Bush administration Monday to set up a loan-guarantee plan for auto suppliers as part of the $700-billion financial bailout plan, as well as to speed $25 billion in loans for retooling.

The request from the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association means that the entirety of the U.S. auto industry — automakers, suppliers and dealers — has now asked for government help to survive the economic downturn.

In a letter to President George W. Bush, MEMA Chairman Charles Johnson said suppliers were facing “massive upheaval,” and noted that partsmakers are the largest employers in seven states: Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee.

MEMA, along with Detroit automakers, has been pressing the U.S. Department of Energy to move quickly on loaning $25 billion to the industry approved by Congress in late September. While Energy officials have said it could take 18 months for the money to reach the industry, industry officials say the administration has sped up the process, and hope to see some loans made early next year.

The association also asked the Treasury Department to set up a loan guarantee program, saying a lack of capital and access to commercial credit had driven layoffs in recent weeks.

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Honda Motor Co. said Monday that its October sales slid 25.2%, to 85,864 vehicles, for a month that is on track to be among the worst in decades for the industry.

Sales of all Honda brand vehicles dropped 25.7%, to 75,756, while sales of all Acura brand vehicles dropped 21.6%, to 10,108 units.

Even sales of the Civic, the best selling vehicle for the industry during the month of May, fell 22%, to 18,582 units in October.

Honda’s single bright spot was its Fit, which logged a 33.1% sales increase over last October, to 6,478 units.

A green car doesn’t have to be a hybrid.

The Green Car of the Year will be announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and there is a three-in-five chance that the winner won’t be powered by a gas-electric system.

Only two of the five finalists are hybrids — the Saturn Vue two-mode hybrid and the Ford Fusion hybrid.

Two are diesels — the BMW 335d and Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The tiny gas-powered Smart ForTwo rounds out the nominees.

“This year’s selection of nominees was more challenging than in years past because of the auto industry’s greater emphasis on greener vehicles and the number of potential vehicles to consider. For the first time, we’ve also seen a pair of clean diesels and a small gasoline model giving hybrids serious competition,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com.

The 2009 Green Car of the Year is to be announced Nov. 20 at the LA show. Judges include Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club; Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council; Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of the Ocean Futures Society; auto enthusiast and “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, and automotive icon Carroll Shelby. Four Green Car Journal editors round out the jury.

Restyled 2009 Honda Element Offers New High-tech, Functional Features

Available features now include a navigation system, a removable storage cooler and an improved overhead storage console on select models

The restyled 2009 Honda Element entry-level SUV builds on its spacious and versatile character by adding a more chiseled exterior appearance and a refreshed interior design with an expanded selection of available high-tech and functional features. Manufacturer Suggested Retail Pricing (MSRP1) starts at $20,175 for the 2009 Element 2WD LX, plus a destination and handling charge of $670.

For 2009, Honda has enhanced each of the three unique Element styles that range from the rugged and simple Element LX, to the more refined Element EX, to the sporty Element SC. Available new features on the Element EX and SC include the Honda Satellite-linked Navigation System2 with Voice Activation and a rearview camera (automatic transmission-equipped vehicles only); USB digital media connectivity; and improved overhead console storage areas with modular compartments.

Significant exterior styling changes include a new front grille and bumper design, restyled front fenders (now metal, previously composite material), a new hood design, squared wheel arches, and new headlight and taillight configurations.

“The Element’s key strength is a spacious, versatile and rugged interior that adapts quickly and conveniently to people and cargo,” said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “For 2009, the enhancements strengthen the totally unique original concept with more refinement and functionality.”

New interior changes include new, brighter color schemes with titanium-look side linings, new fabric patterns, and revised switchgear designs and meter graphics. A restyled low-profile center console is standard on the Element LX.

The Element EX adds a new convertible center console with a removable cooler/storage box while the Element SC retains its exclusive center console. For additional storage, the Element EX and SC are equipped with a modular three-compartment overhead console based on the Railport™ Vehicle Personalization System, expanding the vehicle’s hidden storage versatility compared to the previous version. The new overhead console includes two large storage bins that can accommodate CD cases and similar items and a rear storage area for sunglasses.

The 2.4-liter i-VTEC® 4-cylinder engine is available with either a standard 5-speed manual transmission or an available 5-speed automatic transmission. Real Time 4WD™, available on the Element LX and EX, enhances all-weather traction. The Element LX and EX continue to be available in two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive configurations, while the sport-tuned Element SC continues to be available exclusively in two-wheel-drive. EPA city/highway fuel economy ratings3 range from 20/25 for two-wheel-drive models with an automatic transmission to 18/23 for manual transmission models with either two-wheel-drive or Real Time 4WD.

Versatile and Accommodating Interior with Available High-tech Features
The interior provides seating for four people along with a cargo area that quickly adapts to large items with its flip-up rear seats that fold flat, fold up and to the side, or can be removed altogether (64-plus seating arrangements). The Element LX and EX have a water resistant urethane-coated utility floor that quickly wipes down and seat fabric that resists moisture; the Element SC has a carpeted passenger area. Air conditioning with micron air filtration is standard on all models.

The Element LX has a 4-speaker AM/FM audio system with a CD player. The Element EX and SC feature a 270-watt high-output audio system, an AM/FM tuner, CD player with MP3/WMA™4 capability, auxiliary audio input for MP3 players or other audio devices, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, seven speakers including a dynamic linear phase 6.5-inch subwoofer (located in the bottom center of the instrument panel). XM® Satellite Radio5 is standard on the Element EX and SC.

The Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System becomes an available feature for 2009 on the Element EX and SC (automatic transmission models only), and includes a rear backup camera and a USB audio interface6. The navigation system features a 6.5-inch motorized display that opens and closes for access to an internal single-disc CD player and a digital audio card reader that can play MP3 and WMA® files from CompactFlash® cards. The navigation system contains more than 7 million points of interest and can control the audio system. The voice recognition is capable of recognizing and entering numbers, street names and cities.

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