Just-in-time auto industry news and analysis
On the second day of the developing scandal surrounding Toyota’s PR chief Julie Hamp, it appears as if the best outcome will be deportation from Japan, and the worst many years in a Japanese jail. Ms. Hamp was arrested yesterday at her hotel in Tokyo’s Roppongi ward, after a customs agent found 57 pills containing oxycodone in a package sent to her from the United States. Oxycodone is a controlled substance in Japan, a country with very stiff anti-drug laws. [ There is more … ]
Yesterday, Toyota’s freshly-minted spokesperson Julie Hamp welcomed Frenchman Didier Leroy to the board of Toyota. Today, Ms. Hamp is in a Tokyo jail. According to the Asahi Shimbun Ms. Hamp was arrested on suspicions of drug smuggling. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department alleges that Hamp illegally imported drugs from the United States. She is denying the charges. [ There is more … ]
After showing signs of life in March and April, the EU new car market went back to going sideways in the month of May. Across the EU, registrations were up a paltry 1.3 percent to 1,109,893 units, Europe’s manufacturer association ACEA reports. [ There is more … ]
