Bridgestone's airless AirFree tire is now in permanent service on an autonomous shuttle in Higashiomi, Shiga, a national first. How its puncture-proof resin-spoke design works, why driverless and MaaS fleets need it, how it contrasts with Michelin's Uptis strategy, and whether it's really Moon-bound.
Dysprosium and terbium, essential to EV magnets, were China's one unbroken monopoly. In 2025, Australia's Lynas, backed by Japan since 2011, produced them outside China for the first time. What it means, and what it doesn't.
In May 2026 Toyota canceled the Lexus LF-ZC, its next-gen EV—but it killed the car, not the tech. Why investment in gigacasting and solid-state batteries continues, compared with Tesla's own gigacasting retreat.
On May 29, 2026, Mitsubishi unveiled a mid-to-long-term vision reviving the Pajero after seven years and turning it into a series. With a ~1 trillion yen ($6.3B) investment, a hybrid pivot, and Nissan-built US vehicles to dodge tariffs, the comeback rides a global wave of heritage-SUV revivals.
China's Chery and Japan's Autobacs are among five companies behind EMTA, a new kei-class EV brand planned for 2027. Why Japan's open market looks nothing like the US or EU.
Mazda has launched the third-generation CX-5 in Japan today, May 21, 2026, starting at 3.3 million yen (around $20,800). With 5 million sold globally, this redesigned SUV is Mazda's bet on hybrids and combustion as the EV boom cools — and how it stacks up against Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Tesla, and BYD.
Kyoto University associate professor Mitsuaki Kaneko is commercializing SiC-based mixed-signal LSIs that work where silicon fails. His complementary JFET approach targets ADC samples in 2028-2029, opening a niche the big five SiC power players have largely ignored.
A black, sponge-like slab that floats with just lamp light has racked up 1.8 million views in a week. Developed at Nagoya University by Tomonaga Ueno, the carbon-nanotube aerogel is lighter than air and could quietly reshape EVs, eVTOL aircraft, drones and spacecraft. Here's how it actually works—and why the startup Sora Material thinks it's an industrial workhorse, not just a viral trick.
In spring 2026, Honda wrote off roughly $10 billion in EV development. That same season, the final modules of ITER's 3,000-tonne central solenoid arrived in France, the UK's Pulsar Fusion ignited the first plasma inside a fusion rocket engine, and Kyoto Fusioneering moved to bring its integrated fusion fuel cycle pilot online in Canada. Stack the candidates in watt-hours per kilo and the picture is brutal: nothing beats gasoline in a form you can put in a car — except one category up, fusion, at 7.8 million times the density. Win the bet and you unlock effectively free electricity, working climate reversal, Mars in two months, lunar helium-3, and the solar system as a shipping route. Honda's mistake alone covers nearly 40 percent of ITER's budget. Maybe it's time to stop arguing about EVs and just go build the sun.
Rohm posted a record 158.4 billion yen ($1 billion) net loss for fiscal 2026 after writing down 193.6 billion yen ($1.23B) on SiC power semiconductor assets. CEO Katsumi Azuma called it 'clearing out the pus'—a stark admission that Japan's biggest SiC bet was mistimed. With Wolfspeed in Chapter 11 and Chinese rivals slashing wafer prices to a third, the global silicon carbide gold rush has hit its reset moment.
Honda reported a ¥423.9 billion ($2.7B) net loss for FY2026 — its first since listing in 1957 — alongside ¥1.58 trillion ($10B) in EV-related write-offs. The carmaker unveiled a turnaround plan the same day: 15 new hybrids by 2029, ¥1.4 trillion ($8.9B) operating profit target by FY2029, and a sharp comparison emerges with Toyota's multi-pathway bet, Tesla's pure-EV scale, BYD's slowdown, and Hyundai's quiet rise.
Subaru cut its FY2026 operating profit forecast by 900 billion yen to just 40 billion yen, a 90% year-on-year plunge announced May 11. Beyond US tariffs, a North American cold wave, Middle East shipping disruptions, and EV asset impairment from Trump's environmental rollback all hit at once. Why does Subaru—with 80% North America sales reliance—suffer most among Japanese automakers?
Honda's Zero EV brand launches its first model—the 0 Alpha compact SUV—in India by early 2027, exporting back to Japan. After cancelling three North American EVs and posting record losses, Japan's #2 automaker is betting on Rajasthan over Ohio. We unpack the gamble, the rivals waiting in India, and why this could rewrite Japanese EV strategy.
Nissan, in the midst of its Re:Nissan recovery plan, will cut about 900 European jobs (10% of the regional workforce) and consolidate two production lines into one at its UK Sunderland plant. With utilization at roughly 50%, China's Chery is in talks to take over the freed-up line. We unpack what this means alongside Volkswagen and Stellantis restructuring, against the backdrop of Chinese EV pressure squeezing Europe's auto industry.
Mitsubishi Electric is in talks to transfer 50% of its $4.3B auto parts subsidiary to Taiwan's Foxconn, with a deal expected by May. As BYD captures 19% of the global EV market, how is Japan's auto supply chain being reshaped?
Honda will end four-wheeler sales in South Korea by the end of 2026, closing a 23-year chapter with cumulative sales of just 108,600 cars. The retreat coincides with China factory shutdowns from June 2026, the cancellation of the Sony-Honda AFEELA EV, and scrapped North American EV plans, part of a sweeping strategy to concentrate resources on the US, Japan, India, and ASEAN. A deep dive for global readers.
On April 14, 2026, the headline from Nissan's long-term vision wasn't rare earths or robotaxis, it was the return of the Skyline, the continuation of the GT-R, the revival of the Xterra, and the debut of the all-new X-Trail/Rogue e-POWER and Juke EV. Here's Espinosa's 56-to-45 model cull, the new 'Heartbeat' classification, and how Japan, the US, and China each get distinct lineups as Nissan walks a standalone path after the Honda merger collapse.
Waymo and Toyota have agreed to explore bringing L4 robotaxi technology to personally owned vehicles. We unpack how Waymo's sensor-heavy approach differs from Tesla's camera-only FSD and China's Baidu Apollo, and what this means for Toyota's strategic direction.
In the world's 3rd largest auto market, Japanese brands hold 50% share. We break down Maruti Suzuki's 40% dominance, the rise of Tata and Mahindra, and how Japanese makers are navigating India's EV transition.
A rigorous evaluation of Nissan's triple strategy against a global EV slowdown. With Trump's tax credit repeal, China's sales slump, Honda canceling its 0 series, and BloombergNEF cutting EV forecasts by 14 million units, is this Nissan's genuine breakthrough or just the fifth failed long-term plan in six years? Surprisingly, the EV slowdown might actually be a tailwind for Nissan. Here is why.