Just-in-time auto industry news and analysis
Last weekend, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn told Bild am Sonntag that his company will finally build a budget car line, 2018, in China. A few days earlier, Ferdinand Piech’s older brother Ernst told Germany’s society magazine Die Bunte that Winterkorn is putting Piech’s lifetime achievement in jeopardy. Both are connected. [ There is more … ]
Toyota may lose the title World’s Largest Automaker to Volkswagen by the end of 2015. As of May, Toyota’s worldwide production is down 4 percent, while Volkswagen is up a tiny 0.2%. [ There is more … ]
The Tokyo District Court has decided that Toyota’s communications chief Julie Hamp will remain in custody for another 10 days, the Mainichi says. Deadline is July 8. According to Japanese law, charges have to be brought by that deadline. If not, the suspect goes free. The extension is fairly routine.
Julie, during better days
Does anyone still think that the Julie Hamp affair will quietly go away, and that Julie will eventually return to her office at 1-4-18 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8701, Japan? All it takes to dissuade one from this silly notion is to witness the steady drip of leaks from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Today, the usual “investigative source” told Kyodo News “that the tablets in question were not prescribed for her.” The same source told Kyodo that ” Tokyo police are considering sending officers to the United States to verify Hamp’s statement and confirm other aspects of the investigation.” You don’t go on a fact-finding mission to the U.S. if you want to sweep the matter under the rug. [ There is more … ]
