This month’s snapshot of automotive industry news includes highlights from Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mazda, and Toyota. We hope you will find the information helpful.
Automotive Industry Updates
Seven Most Made-in-America Cars You Can Buy
As U.S. automakers rebound and consumer confidence trends back on the rise, more and more American drivers are promising to "buy local." This year's list is especially distinctive because it is the first time in four years that a domestic automaker takes the number one spot for "Most American," even though the list is a fairly even split between foreign-owned automakers and domestic-owned automakers.
JD Power and LMC Automotive Report
The industry is bullish on new car production, which is expected to top right around the 15.9 million mark. While this is a slight decrease from the original 2013 forecast, it is the first time production has been this high since 2002.
Nissan, Mitsubishi co-develop minicar to grab bigger share in promising niche Japanese market
Japanese automakers Nissan and Mitsubishi are joining forces to grab a bigger share of the country's lucrative market for tiny cars, now dominated by their three rivals. Daihatsu Motor Co. and Suzuki Motor Corp. currently lead in the nation's nearly two million-minicar-a-year market, each with about 30 percent of sales, according to the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association. Honda Motor Co. has 20 percent of the market.
Kei cars made up nearly 40 percent of auto sales in Japan last year, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association. Nissan has already received 12,000 orders for Dayz, beating its monthly sales target at 8,000.
Mazda sales uptick stirs rebound hopes
Significantly, vehicles with the Mazda Skyactiv technologies, including the CX-5 and redesigned Mazda6, accounted for nearly three-quarters of sales last month. Mazda attributes the increase in sales to it's new ad campaign, which helped spark a 72 percent rise in Mazda6 sales in May, to 3,944 vehicles.
Nissan Gives $150K to UTI Foundation for Training Scholarships
Automaker Nissan provided the Universal Technical Institute Foundation with a $150,000 grant to support training scholarships. With its latest grant, the Japanese automaker has provided $800,000 over the past five years toward the NATT scholarship.
[VIDEO] 2014 Toyota Corolla Euro-spec makes video debut
After it was officially unveiled just last week, the new generation of the Toyota Corolla, which is wearing the 2014 model year in its name, is being placed into the spotlights once again, this time with the help of a first video.
Additional details on the 2014 Toyota Corolla, aimed towards the European and ASEAN markets, will be announced close to its launch, this year.
