Toshiyuki Shiga

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co <F.N> said on Tuesday its U.S. sales in October rose 3 percent and it gained market share due to strong demand for cars and crossover vehicles. "Consumer demand for our new ... products is driving Ford's market share gains," Ken Czubay, Ford's U.S. sales chief, said in a statement. At the end of October, Ford officials were unsure whether October sales would finish up or down, but several analysts had forecast a decline. Ford was the first large automaker to report sales, which for the industry are expected to provide more evidence that the worst of the four-year ... Read Full Story

CHIBA, Japan (Reuters) - Japanese automakers such as Honda and Nissan want to reduce their reliance on the U.S. market, where weak demand and a falling dollar have slashed profits, even as a poor turnout at their flagship auto show highlights the challenges at home. No major overseas brands made it to this year's Tokyo Motor Show which kicked off on Wednesday, while floor space and the number of world premiere car models is half that of the previous show two year ago. Japan's car lobby forecasts its new vehicle sales to sink to a 32-year low this financial year as the economic slump ... Read Full Story

Nissan Motor Co. will show off the automaker's all-electric Leaf in a North American tour starting Nov. 13 in Los Angeles. Franklin, Tenn.-based Nissan North America said in a statement Thursday that the Los Angeles showing will be the first time people in the United States will be able to see the five-passenger, five-door, gasoline-free car. The schedule includes Los Angeles, Nov. 13-17 and other locations in California; Seattle, Dec. 8-12; Vancouver, Canada, Dec. 14-15; Portland, Ore., Dec. 17-23; Phoenix-Tucson, Dec. 30-Jan. 5; Las Vegas, Jan. 6; Detroit, Jan. 11-13; Knoxville-Chattanooga, Tenn., Jan. 16; Middle Tennessee, Jan. 19-21; Washington, D.C., Jan. 26-28; Raleigh, N.C., ... Read Full Story

Nissan's Land Glider electric vehicle tilts from side to side, sashaying into curves by up to a 17-degree angle, as though showing off in a fashion statement that it's zero-emissions. The wheel segments of the car can move separately from the cabin, allowing the car, still an experimental concept model, to sway and swerve, almost like a motorcycle. Nissan Motor Co. project design director Takashi Nakjima says Land Glider is designed to be a "personal city commuter." In a demonstration for reporters, the car glided around on a test course at Nissan's design center, outside Tokyo, leaning slowly to one side, and then the ... Read Full Story

Nissan Motor Co. revised its annual outlook — from a loss to a profit — as the increase in sales in China resulted to a rise in quarterly earnings that exceeded the market’s expectations. Japan’s third-largest automaker was expected to lift its forecasts after it brought up its sales target in the fast-growing Chinese market [...] Read Full Story