DETROIT—A federal grand jury has charged a Japanese executive with conspiring to fix prices on auto parts. According to an indictment filed Thursday in U.S. District Court here, Hitoshi Hirano, while executive managing director at Tokai Rika Co. Ltd., fixed prices of heater control panels sold to Toyota Motor Corp. between 2003 and 2010.
DETROIT—The Detroit Three still have poor relations with their supplier base compared with their Japanese competitors domestically, according to a survey released Monday by consulting firm Planning Perspectives Inc.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI—Thirty-six percent of automotive suppliers declined to give a price cut to Toyota, according to the latest survey by IRN Inc. In contrast, only 22 percent of GM’s suppliers rejected price cuts, and 19 percent of Chrysler’s suppliers did so.