PARIS — French carmaker Renault will develop and assemble the next generation of partner Nissan's Micra models, a senior executive at the Japanese firm said, as the two companies try to reboot their alliance with tighter cooperation in production.
Ashwani Gupta, Nissan's chief operating officer, said in an interview with France's Le Monde newspaper published on Monday that the Micra plan was an example of their "leader-follower" strategy, with one firm taking the lead on certain car types.
Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi has announced plans to develop a vaccine against the new coronavirus.
The company said Monday it hopes to offer a vaccine to 10 million people. Clinical trials are to begin by the end of the year, in coordination with Japan's health ministry and other parties.
Toyota will develop a heavy-duty fuel-cell truck with its subsidiary Hino Motor as it sees hydrogen technology as a zero-emissions alternative to battery power for large commercial vehicles. The automakers noted that heavy duty trucks "account for about 60 percent of the total CO2 emissions from commercial vehicles operating in Toyota and Hino's home market of Japan."
In a statement, Toyota said the truck, based on Hino's Profia model, would be equipped with two fuel cell stacks developed for the next model of its Mirai fuel cell sedan, along with high-pressure hydrogen tank and lithium ion battery pack. It would have a cruising range of around 370 miles (600 kilometers). The automaker says "steps are being taken, through comprehensive weight reduction, to ensure a sufficient load capacity," which is obviously important for the kind of work these trucks are expected to perform.