Automotive

Honda Motor and General Motors will join in a research project that could determine whether electric vehicles can be used to stabilize the supply of power in next-generation smart grids.

Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday that from this fall it will start offering a system that allows navigated highway driving and hands-off single-lane driving, in the automaker’s latest push toward self-driving vehicles.

Toyota Motor Corp. is considering offering autonomous driving technologies to ride-hailing firms, sources close to the matter said Thursday, in its latest push to become a company offering not only cars but also various mobility services.

Toyota Motor Corp. will invest over $2.2 billion (¥242 billion) in China to boost eco-friendly vehicle and engine production with a local partner to meet growing demand.

Toyota Motor and Panasonic will merge their housing businesses into a joint venture next year to develop connected homes and services for next-generation vehicles, the companies announced on Thursday.

Japan has fought long and hard in trade talks to protect its rice growers from foreign competition. Now the government wants to help them go global.

Mizuho Bank and the Development Bank of Japan each will purchase about 35 billion yen ($314 million) of preferred stock in the parent of Japanese auto parts maker Calsonic Kansei, Nikkei has learned, facilitating additional financing for the company's acquisition of an Italian supplier.

Japan will require automakers to improve fleetwide fuel economy, including electric vehicles, by roughly 30% from the fiscal 2020 target by fiscal 2030, as it seeks to account for the environmental impact of Earth-friendly autos while still promoting their use.

In a move aimed at expanding fuel cell use in the world's largest auto market, Toyota Motor has teamed up with major local carmaker Beijing Automotive Group, also known as BAIC, to provide related equipment for use in buses.

A trio of Japanese companies, headlined by SoftBank Group and Toyota Motor, will invest $1 billion in the autonomous vehicle unit of Uber Technologies, aiming to catch up with Google-spawned leader Waymo, the group announced on April 19.