Nissan Shows Off A New Cfrp Production Innovation

Nissan shows off a new CFRP production innovation

TOKYO — Nissan says it has developed a new way to produce high-tech auto parts that highlights the Japanese automaker's engineering finesse, even as it faces a criminal trial in an ongoing scandal involving former Chairman Carlos Ghosn.

Nissan Motor Co. said it has achieved a "breakthrough" in molding carbon fiber reinforced plastic, or CFRP, components, now used in racing cars and jets because of their light weight and strength.

2021 Acura Tlx Begins To Roll Off Assembly Line In Ohio

2021 Acura TLX begins to roll off assembly line in Ohio

The 2021 Acura TLX is officially rolling off the assembly line in Marysville, Ohio. This marks the beginning of a new generation for the Acura, which promises to be "the quickest, best-handling and most well-appointed sport sedan in the brand's 35-year history." Heady words, considering the brand has produced many impressive sedans over the past few decades.

Both the standard TLX and the TLX Type S will be made alongside each other, and the engines lurking within will be assembled nearby in Anna, Ohio. Only the standard TLX with the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder will be available initially, but the Type S and its 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 will arrive next spring. 

Japan's 'flying Car' Gets Off The Ground With A Human Pilot

Japan's 'Flying Car' Gets Off The Ground With A Human Pilot

We’ve all seen the TV shows and movies where everyone seems to be driving a flying car. It always felt like the stuff of science fiction, but it looks like it’s slowly becoming a reality. In fact, over in Japan, they are inching towards such a future thanks to Japan’s SkyDrive who recently successfully tested a flying car which got off the ground with a human pilot in the seat.

According to Tomohiro Fukuzawa, who heads up the SkyDrive effort, he hopes that this flying car can be made into an actual product by 2023, although we are a bit skeptical about that somewhat optimistic timeline. He does, however, acknowledge that there are various safety concerns that need to be addressed before that happens, where people have to feel safe while riding it.

Chinese Fishing Boats Spotted Off Senkaku Islands

Chinese fishing boats spotted off Senkaku Islands

A Japan Coast Guard patrol ship has left for waters off the Senkaku Islands, where Chinese fishing boats were seen operating on Monday.

The patrol vessel departed from Ishigaki Island in Japan's southwestern Okinawa Prefecture. This came after Beijing on Sunday lifted an annual fishing ban in the East China Sea, including waters off the Senkakus.

Ldp Moves To Have Xi's Visit Called Off

LDP moves to have Xi's visit called off

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is moving to have a planned state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping called off following the enactment of a national security law for Hong Kong.

Xi's visit has already been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Toyota 4runner Vs Toyota Land Cruiser Vs Toyota Rav4 Trd Off-road Suspension Flex Test

Toyota 4Runner vs Toyota Land Cruiser vs Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road Suspension Flex Test

As I sit down to write this, it's dawning on me that I have owned all three of these vehicles at one point or another. The Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road is the one that currently shades my driveway. You've seen it before. Twice.

But I actually brought my wife and newborn daughter home from the hospital in a 1996 Toyota RAV4, a four-door model with a manual transmission, lockable center differential and a Torsen rear differential. It may have looked like a hiking boot, but it handled like a rally car on my dirt road commute, which was so utterly deserted I could fully exploit the route's numerous corners and float over its perfectly-shaped jump.

Toyota Yaris, The U.s. Mazda-based Version, Is Being Killed Off

Toyota Yaris, the U.S. Mazda-based version, is being killed off

The outlet Tire Meets Road spotted a leaked document from Toyota on Reddit, sent to the automaker's dealers and general managers in the Southwest region. According to the memo from Toyota's western comms manager, "The Yaris sedan and Yaris Hatchback will not be available for model year 2021. Model year 2020 will be the last year for Yaris. June 2020 will be the last month of production for the Yaris sedan and Yaris Hatchback for the US." Reddit deleted the document, but when AutoWise reached out to Toyota, the same comms manager confirmed the information to the site. And just for good measure, when CarBuzz reached out to Toyota, the response was, "The Yaris sedan and Yaris Hatchback will not be available for model year 2021. Model year 2020 will be the last year for Yaris in the U.S."

So ends a 15-year run in the U.S. of what has, at times, been one of America's spunkiest hatchbacks. In our review of the 2019 Mazda2-based sedan, we called it slow but "pretty entertaining to drive," one of the "better-looking cars in this diminutive class," and were surprised "at how grown up it feels." Such accolades haven't been enough to convince the buying public; since 2008, when shoppers took home 102,328 Yaris models, the Yaris has posted steep declines in all but three years. A burst of sales in 2017, after Toyota absorbed Scion and turned the Mazda2-based Scion iA into the Yaris iA, fell back into substantial declines in 2018 and 2019. Last year, the Yaris hatch and sedan sold a combined 21,916 units. The Honda Fit did 35,414 sales, the Hyundai Accent 25,628. 

Olympus Will Be Selling Off Its Consumer Camera Business

Olympus Will Be Selling Off Its Consumer Camera Business

Many, many years ago, when cameras were either a compact camera or a DSLR, Olympus came onto the scene and helped to popularize the Micro Four Thirds system. This removed the mirror box from the camera’s design, which led to the mirrorless design, resulting in many of the popular cameras we know and use today.

Now it looks like the company is done with cameras as they have announced that they will be selling off its consumer camera business. This business will be sold to Japan Industrial Partners, who for those unfamiliar, is the same company that bought up Sony’s VAIO computer business back in 2014.