Imagry, Israel, and eVersum partner for autonomous buses in Japan and Europe On December 23, Imagry announced a strategic partnership with eVersum, a specialist in high-tech engineering and manufacturing of electric buses. They will integrate Imagry’s field-proven AI-based autonomous driving technology into M3-category right- and left-hand drive (RHD/LHD) electric buses. The fully integrated self-driving electric buses are available as either R...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/26

egin from around 2030. The company has conducted surveys on three fields: “Software” including in-vehicle basic operation systems (OS), “Hardware” such as central computers, and “Service” (including autonomous driving subscriptions  and artificial intelligence (AI) services. While some Japanese automakers have started to shift to SDVs, most of them have only adopted map updates and display screen customization. However, automakers wi...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/26

Eight Japanese OEMs see decreased global production and sales in November 2025 Eight Japanese automakers’ global November production volume totaled 1,985,727 units, reflecting a year-over-year (y/y) decrease of 6.4% for the second month in a row. Outside Japan, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.’s production volume decreased by 40% since its North American plants reduced operations due to a shortage of semiconductors. On the other hand, Suzuki Motor Corpo...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/26

JFTC issues second recommendation to Toyodenso for Japanese subcontract act violation On December 24, Japan's Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) issued a recommendation to Toyodenso Co., Ltd. (Toyodenso) in Minato Ward, Tokyo, a manufacturer of automotive electrical components, requesting measures to prevent the recurrence of violations to the Japanese Subcontract Act. The company had unfairly returned the products delivered by its subcontractors. Rega...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/26

Imagry, Israel, and Toyota Tsusho partner for autonomous public bus transportation pilot in Japan On December 23, Imagry announced that it will launch a pilot to evaluate the operational feasibility of Imagry’s bus autonomous system in Japan, in partnership with Toyota Tsusho Corporation. Once successful, this fully integrated bus platform will be offered by Imagry to public transportation operators (PTO) and municipalities nationwide. A 6.9-me...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/24

ROHM, Japan, and Tata Electronics, India, partner for semiconductor manufacturing in India On December 22, ROHM Co., Ltd. and Tata Electronics announced a partnership for semiconductor manufacturing in India for both the Indian and global markets. They will establish a manufacturing framework for power semiconductors in India by combining ROHM’s device technologies with Tata Electronics’ semiconductor assembly and test capabilities.  As the ...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/23

ADM Global, Uzbekistan, and Sojitz, Japan, partner on investment in automotive segment On December 19, the ADM Global group of companies and Sojitz Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding in Tokyo, Japan to establish a basis for implementing joint investment initiatives in the automotive industry and related sectors. Within the framework of the cooperation, it is expected that around USD 150-200 million will be invested in the developmen...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/23

November electrified vehicle sales in Japan see growth in EV sales for third consecutive month Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) are increasing in Japan. In November, while sales of electrified passenger vehicles in the country fell 14.9% year-on-year (y/y) to 161,903 units, sales of EVs rose 17.5% y/y to 5,921 units, marking the third consecutive month of growth. In addition to growth in EV sales by Toyota Motor Corporation and Honda Motor Co., L...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/23

Suzuki introduces work analysis AI “Ollo Factory” at plants in Japan On December 22, Suzuki Motor Corporation announced that it has officially introduced the work analysis AI software “Ollo Factory,” developed and provided by Ollo, Inc. (“Ollo”), an AI startup originating from the University of Tokyo, starting with the assembly plant at the Sagara Plant, Shizuoka Prefecture in July 2025, followed by the engine plant in December 2025. ...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/22

JAMA appoints Toyota’s President Koji Sato as next Chairman On December 18, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc. (JAMA) announced that Vice Chairmen Koji Sato (President of Toyota Motor Corporation) will be appointed as next Chairman of JAMA effective January 1, 2026. Chairman Masanori Katayama (Chairman of Isuzu Motors Limited) will be assigned as Vice Chairman of JAMA. Amid heightened trade friction and supply chain risks, the...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/22

Sawafuji Electric to be delisted through TOB On December 19, Sawafuji Electric Co., Ltd. (Sawafuji Electric) announced that ARTS-4 Inc. (ARTS-4), a special purpose company (SPC) wholly owned by the Japan Monozukuri Mirai Investment Limited Partnership, will launch a tender offer (TOB) for the shares of Sawafuji Electric. After conclusion of the TOB, Sawafuji Electric is expected to be delisted. The Japan Monozukuri Mirai Investment is an entity i...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/22

Japan’s ruling parties announce tax system revision guidelines changing eco-performance tax policy On December 19, Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party announced their newly developed “the ruling coalition parties’ guideline for tax system revision” for the fiscal year that starts in April 2026 (FY2026). This is the first guideline announced under the current coalition government. The environmental perfo...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/22

[JMS 2025 Exclusive Interview] Mitsubishi Electric Mobility: Taking on the Challenge of Responding to Every Mobility Segment The Japan Mobility Show (JMS) was held from October 29, 2025. During the show, MarkLines conducted exclusive interviews with several companies. At the Mitsubishi Electric Mobility booth, we interviewed Director Masanobu Higashino. (Note: Mitsubishi Electric Mobility is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric. It is...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/19

Toyota aims to sell US made vehicles in Japan from 2026 On December 19, Toyota Motor announced that it is considering introducing three models produced in the United States―the Camry sedan, Highlander SUV, and Tundra pickup truck―to the Japanese market from 2026. Toyota has decided to reintroduce Camry and Highlander (known as Kluger in Japan), which were previously sold in the Japanese market until 2023 and 2007 respectively. Camry, a top se...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/19

Honda’s car assembly plants in Japan and China to suspend operations Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda) announced by December 18 that its car assembly plants in Japan and China will temporarily suspend operations due to the shortage of semiconductors. In China, three plants of GAC Honda Automobile Co., Ltd., a joint venture with GAC Group, will stop operations from December 29 to January 2. While the names of Japanese plants have not been disclosed,...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/19

aezaki City, Shizuoka Prefecture), has been adopted for the underbody cover of the all-new RAV4 by Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota). This is the first time that recycled compound pellets (plastic raw material) derived mainly from ASR have been used 100% in a single component of a Toyota vehicle in Japan. ASR-derived waste plastics, unlike those derived from single-material waste plastics, are difficult to sort by material and have mostly been di...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/19

Road to L4 autonomous truck project briefing Japan’s public-private initiative aimed at popularizing autonomous-driving trucks, the Road to the L4, recently held a briefing, unveiling its overall picture for achieving social implementation. The project aims to create “Autonomous Driving Truck Implementation Guidebook (tentative name)” and “Road Map for Level-4 Autonomous Driving Truck Introduction (tentative name) and to promote wider ado...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/19

Japan to revise governmental subsidies for CEVs from January 2026 based on US-Japan tariff agreement The Japanese government has decided to revise the “Subsidies to Promote the Introduction of Clean Energy Vehicles (CEV Subsidies)” policy from January 2026. Tokyo is making a final adjustment to raise the subsidy cap for electric vehicle (EV) purchases from JPY 900,000 to JPY 1,300,000 and lower the cap for fuel cell vehicle (FCV) purchases fr...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/19

increased production and expand the company’s customer base across the southeast U.S. T.RAD is a global manufacturer of heat exchangers for internal combustion engines, electric vehicle Battery Thermal Management Systems (BTMS), and fuel cell cooling systems. T.RAD North America, a subsidiary of Japanese manufacturer T.RAD. headquartered in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, was founded in 1988 as CoPAR, Inc., a joint venture between Toyo Radiator Co., L...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/19

aiMotive, Hungary, and Macnica, Japan, partner for AI-powered data virtualization On December 11, aiMotive partnered with its Japanese distributor, Macnica, to introduce a new data collection and processing environment powered by the aiData Platform. This platform enables advanced services such as 4D automated annotation and digital twin generation from camera and LiDAR sensor data. aiMotive and Macnica will support the Japanese automotive indust...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/18