Hans Greimel Asia Editor, Tokyo Hans Greimel is the Asia Editor and Tokyo bureau chief for Automotive News Europe, in charge of coverage from Japan, China and South Korea. [email protected] +81 3 3828 9060 See All Staff Page Recent Stories Chief engineer appointed to lead Lexus Koji Sato is best known as the chief engineer of the super sleek Lexus LC sports coupe and for his work developing the GA-L platform for rear-wheel drive Lexus vehicles, including the LS sedan. Denso exec keeps AV sights set on Level 2 Denso's latest automated driving system will debut next year on a Lexus car but the supplier is cautious on jumping past Level 2 technology anytime soon. Nissan's new CEO rules out closer capital ties with Renault Nissan is committed to its alliance with Renault but will not look to deepen its capital ties with the French automaker any time soon, its new CEO, Makoto Uchida, said. Ex-CEO Saikawa says Nissan wasn't ready for a Renault merger Hiroto Saikawa reflected on the upheaval of the past year at Nissan and on strained relations with alliance partner Renault in an interview. Ghosn allowed to speak with wife after 7-month ban Indicted former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn is finally allowed to talk with his wife, seven months after a Japanese court banned direct contact between the two. Lexus makes first EV a battery-powered UX crossover for Europe and China The UX 300e, the first full-electric vehicle from Lexus, will help Toyota's premium brand to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations in Europe and China. Nissan profit plunges 70% on falling sales, foreign exchange and rising costs Nissan narrowed its loss in Europe and reported flat North American profit as global earnings plunged. Ghosn's attorney says no plans for plea bargain Almost a year after his arrest and with months to go before his trial, indicted former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn plans to fight the charges to the finish, his lawyer says. Reinvented Tokyo show beats the odds and exceeds attendance target The odds were against it, but the beleaguered Tokyo auto show — championed and reinvented by Toyota boss Akio Toyoda — not only met its ambitious attendance target but exceeded that 1 million-visitor goal by good measure when doors closed last week. Honda profit rises 3% on U.S. sales, cost control North America was Honda's profit engine in the latest quarter, but European earnings also surged. Toyota quarterly profit increases 14% on higher sales Flush with cash after a strong quarter, Toyota said it would buy back up to $1.8 billion worth of its common stock, or 34 million shares, through the end of March 2020. Nissan's planning chief Philippe Klein leaves automaker The executive is one of the remaining managers at the automaker brought from Renault by former Chairman Carlos Ghosn. Mazda bounces back to black as better mix offsets slipping volume Mazda returned to profit in the latest quarter as earnings from a richer mix of higher-margin products and scaled-back incentives offset slipping unit sales. Honda and Hitachi Automotive combine forces for new global mega supplier Honda is merging three affiliated suppliers with Hitachi Automotive in a deal that aims to better leverage scale and r&d resources for developing next-generation technologies. Hyundai taps William Lee as global Genesis chief Lee, a Hyundai veteran, steps into the role at a critical time for Genesis as it builds out its U.S. sales network and mulls whether to launch in Europe. Load More
Hans Greimel Asia Editor, Tokyo Hans Greimel is the Asia Editor and Tokyo bureau chief for Automotive News Europe, in charge of coverage from Japan, China and South Korea. [email protected] +81 3 3828 9060 See All Staff Page