Japan

Chinese EV automaker ZEEKR continues its global expansion, recently relaying plans to sell its vehicles in Japan. The brand is reportedly establishing showrooms in at least three regions of the country ahead of the start of BEV sales next year.

Toyota is once again facing scrutiny under Chairman Akio Toyoda’s leadership, and two of the Japanese automaker’s largest shareholders have seen enough. Following a recent report of misconduct regarding inadequate vehicle verification testing amid a previous wave of certification violations, the descendant of Toyota’s original founder is on the hot seat.

As Japan looks to make all new passenger vehicle sales 100% electric by 2035, local companies are pulling demand levers to help expedite the process. One of those companies is ENECHANGE, which has just introduced a new unlimited flat-rate EV charging subscription that will be available to drivers throughout Japan.

In a historic agreement, the G7 just agreed to phase out coal in the first half of the 2030s, according to statements made today.

EV battery swap specialist Ample has announced it is bringing the first-ever modular swap stations to Japan with the help of partner ENEOS. The first Japanese swap stations will be erected in Kyoto and used by several local fleets.

A new Japanese all-electric EV pickup is set to hit global markets, and it’s not a Toyota. Isuzu will unveil its first 100% electric pickup truck, the D-MAX BEV, later this month. The rugged-looking 4X4 EV will compete with Ford’s F-150 Lightning in overseas markets.

Japan’s UBE Corporation will build an EV battery chemicals factory in Louisiana to set up a US EV battery supply chain – and compete with China.

A new breed of electric vehicles is drawing inspiration from Japanese kei cars, tiny cubes-on-wheels that are highway-legal but not likely to pass muster with US or EU safety standards. But what if we loosened up those standards to help lower prices, enabling broader adoption of EVs to people who don’t have 30 grand or more to spend on a car? That is, at least, one of the ideas that French automaker Renault’s head Luca de Meo has put on the table. 

You may have heard of the Japanese phenomenon of “kei cars”, which are pint-sized vehicles designed to fit into a local regulatory window that allows for much smaller, lighter cars and trucks to operate legally on roads. For decades, the result of those regulations has helped spawn some of the most interesting and often cutest miniature vehicles in the world. Now, one Japanese automaker plans to bring its own kei car to the US. Meet the PUZZLE from HW ELECTRO.

Japan is king of the kei cars, or small-format vehicles designed mostly for urban use. But local startup KG Motors is taking that miniaturization to a whole new level with its one-seater electric car.

The Sakura, an unassuming microcar from Nissan and Mitsubishi which launched last year, has become the top-selling EV in Japan, beating out global rival Tesla. In a country that has been dragging its heels in going electric, this neat little car meets an obvious need that connects to consumers: It’s cheap and insanely practical.

A city near Tokyo is the first in Japan to test wireless charging for EVs – and the chargers are in front of traffic lights.

A new electric pickup truck is set to roll out from Japanese automaker Isuzu. Isuzu president Shinsuke Minami confirmed the news at an unveiling event in Thailand.

China’s largest automaker, BYD, is set to take on Toyota on its home turf. BYD launched the all-electric Dolphin hatchback starting at ¥3.63 million ($24,570) in Japan Wednesday as it looks to take on Toyota head-on.

Struggles continue for Toyota – still one of the world’s largest automakers for now – as its latest hiccup comes in the form of a production system malfunction. As a result, Toyota has had to halt all operations at its assembly plants throughout Japan, leaving local output frozen.

Japan’s largest automaker, Toyota Motor, is laying off workers in China as the company struggles to keep up in the world’s biggest EV market.

Japanese automaker’s reluctance to go all-electric is already taking a toll on the nation’s auto industry. Mitsubishi Motors revealed this week it’s suspending operations in China due to its inability to keep up as EVs continue to take over the market.

Harley-Davidson expects to bring its electric motorcycles to Japan by next year, according to the company’s CEO.

Tokyo’s local assembly today ruled that all new houses built by large-scale homebuilders in the Japanese capital must have solar panels installed from April 2025.

South Korean officials and leaders from Japan are expressing concerns over the new US EV tax credit requirements that kick in at the end of the year. New reports are surfacing that Japan and South Korea will request flexibility in the rule changes. Will they get their way, paving the way for automakers like Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia electric vehicles to qualify?

Japanese automaker Toyota continues to delve deeper into a Bizarro-mirrored universe in which it actually (sort of) behaves like an EV automaker. Following news earlier this week in which the EV laggards laid out an $5.6 billion investment plan to build batteries, Toyota is already making moves to convert two engine and powertrain plants near its Japanese headquarters to produce EV batteries instead.