BERLIN—Volkswagen has for the first time edged past Toyota as the world’s No. 1 automaker during the first half of 2015. VW sold 5.04 million units from January to June, while Toyota’s count during the same period was 5.02 million.
ANN ARBOR, MI—Toyota Motor Corp. has begun construction of a $126 million expansion of its Technical Center here. The expansion includes a new prototype facility for vehicle development, additions to the power train development facility, and a supply center.
SAN ANTONIO—Noting that 10 percent of the vehicles produced at Toyota’s assembly plant here are exported, Chris Nielsen, a senior vice president for the automaker, urged Texas lawmakers to support Trade Promotion Authority for the president of the United States.
CAMBRIDGE, ON—Just two months ago, efforts by the Canadian union Unifor to organize two Toyota Motor Corp. plants in Ontario had all but ground to a halt. But an April announcement that Toyota will move production of the Corolla from its 27-year-old plant here to a new factory to be built in Mexico ignited fears of job cuts. Now, the Unifor campaign is springing back to life.
TOKYO—Toyota Motor is planning to invest around $1.3 billion to set up two new assembly plants in Mexico and China, marking an end to a three-year expansion freeze.
AICHI, Japan—Toyota has unveiled a new assembly line here for its Mirai sedan, which is powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The line is expected to produce 700 units this year, expanding to 2,000 units in 2016 and 3,000 units in 2017.
TOKYO—Toyota Motor Corp will change the way it pays factory workers, focusing on their performance rather than their seniority. Toyota’s new arrangement, designed to attract young talent, will apply to about 40,000 employees, or about 60 percent of its workforce.