Japanese “Big 3” Continue Recovery, Post Strong April

2012 continues to prove better for Japanese manufacturers than 2011.

Toyota, Nissan, and Honda continue their recovery from the 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that disrupted access to parts supplies, as well as retail and distribution networks.

According to a Wall Street Journal blog post, both sales and production have shown strong improvement, with Toyota sales in particular increased by nearly 300% to 107,825 from April 2011, while total domestic production is up more than 500% to 275,761.

Both Nissan and Honda also showed marked improvement—albeit less exponential.

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Lotus (Still) Not For Sale

Though it has new owners, a suspended CEO, and continues to lose money in spite of recent product revision, one of the world’s most iconic sports car brands is still not for sale.

DRB-Hicom, who bought Lotus parent Proton in January, are not interested in selling Lotus according to a statement issued from Proton.

"We acknowledge that Lotus can provide value to Proton. Lotus is an iconic brand with global presence and positioning, coupled with unsurpassed engineering expertise and a talented work force."

Lotus CEO Dany Bahar was recently suspended by DRB-Hicom, and speculation points to potential issues with expenses.

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Toyota Shifting Strategy To Regain Lost Marketshare

Toyota is betting on compact cars in emerging markets.

In an effort to regain their position as the world’s top automotive manufacturer, Toyota is shifting their strategy from premium product in established markets to compact product in emerging markets.

According to a report from Reuters, Toyota intends on releasing eight new compact models by 2015, helping establish Toyota as a brand in markets not yet mature.

The Reuters report also said that Toyota “aims to sell half of its vehicles in emerging markets by 2015, up from around 45 percent last year and 18.6 percent in 2000.”

Said Toyota Executive Vice President Yukitoshi Funo, "In emerging markets, there are four or five automakers vying to take the lead in sales volumes,” and Toyota appears to see this as a critical time in these markets for long-term sales success.

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