Toshiyuki Shiga

The fleet of new cars and trucks sold to U.S. consumers averaged 21 miles per gallon in the 2008 model year, a modest increase over the previous year, the Environmental Protection Agency reported Friday. New vehicle fuel efficiency improved 2 percent in 2008 from 20.6 mpg for the 2007 model year. The government projected it will improve slightly to 21.1 mpg in the 2009 model year. The EPA figures are based on real-world estimates for city and highway mileage found on window stickers at dealer showrooms instead of mileage values developed through laboratory testing. Honda Motor Co. led the industry in 2008 with 23.9 ... Read Full Story

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'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. 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