Green Car Congress

JUNE 7, 2010

Nissan announced that it has already logged 6,000 reservations in Japan for the LEAF EV—thereby achieving its target for all of 2010 in two months. The LEAF goes on sale in Japan in December 2010. Tags: Brief. Bookings started on 1 April. Almost 60% of the reservations come from buyers 50 and older.

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2010 Japan Nissan 2011 225

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 7, 2010

million (about US$18,600), which will be the lowest price for a gasoline-electric vehicle sold in Japan, according to company sources. million yen price tag for the cheapest model of its Insight hybrid put on sale in February last year. L/100km] of gasoline and have a price tag of around 1.5 Tags: Brief. mpg US, 3.3

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Japan Honda Price Hybrid 218

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 5, 2009

Toyota’s Prius maintained its top spot in Japan new passenger car sales in November for the seventh month in a row, posting 26,815 units, according to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association. Monthly sales of the Prius in Japan since 2007. Tags: Brief. Click to enlarge. of new vehicle sales for the month.

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Prius Japan Sale 2007 239

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

The Nikkei reports that Japan will offer technical assistance to Bolivia to develop its lithium resources and ensure a stable supply of the metal. It is estimated, the Nikkei said, that supplies of lithium will become increasingly scarce in Japan, beginning about 2015, as more people begin driving electric cars. Tags: Brief.

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Bolivia Japan 2015 Supplies 186

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 28, 2010

The Research Institute for Innovation in Sustainable Chemistry (ISC) of Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has developed a new silicalite (a type of zeolite) separation membrane with high alcohol permselectivity that decreases the amount of energy required to recover biobutanol by 50-70%.

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Japan Energy 2010 Industrial 199

Green Car Congress

APRIL 5, 2010

Japan, France, Brazil and other countries are vying to tap these mostly undeveloped reserves. Japan, France, Brazil and other countries are vying to tap these mostly undeveloped reserves. Tags: Brief. About half of the world’s lithium deposits are believed to be in Bolivia’s Great Lake of Uyuni.

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Bolivia Japan Supplies Brazil 236

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 10, 2010

The Toyota Prius was the top-selling passenger car (excluding mini-cars and imported cars) in Japan in 2009, according to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association (JADA). Top 10 sellers in Japan in 2009. Tags: Brief. Click to enlarge. In the US, the Prius sold 139,682 units in 2009.).

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2009 Prius Japan Toyota 236

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AUGUST 2, 2010

Sales of new vehicles in Japan climbed 12.9% Tags: Brief. in July to 486,606 units, boosted by the government subsidy for environmentally friendly autos. The subsidies expire at the end of September. Honda Motor Co. jump partly on the popularity of the Fit subcompact and the Step WGN minivan. s sales volume 25.3%.

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Japan Green Cars Sale Minivan 218

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 11, 2009

Toyota’s Prius continued its run as the top-selling new car in Japan in September, posting 31,758 units, representing an increase of 341% from September 2008. This marked the Prius’ fifth consecutive month as the number one selling new automobile in Japan, according to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association (JADA).

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Prius Japan Sale Automobile 186

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 6, 2010

On 8 October, Honda will introduce the refreshed Fit model—sold as the Jazz in some countries—and the all-new Fit Hybrid in Japan. Tags: Brief. Honda currently sells the Fit in approximately 115 countries. Japanese market cumulative sales of the Honda Fit surpassed the 1.5 million-unit mark at the end of July 2010.

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Japan Honda 2001 Sale 186

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 22, 2010

has started production at its Oppama facility for the all-new 100% electric, zero-emission Nissan LEAF, which is slated to go on sale in December in Japan and the United States, and from early 2011, in select markets in Europe. Tags: Brief. Nissan Motor Co., and NEC Corporation.

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Japan Nissan Production Lithium Ion 186

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 16, 2010

Japan Post Service Co. Japan Post has been testing electric vehicles from Zerosports, Mitsubishi Motors Corp., The Japan Post Holdings Co. Tags: Brief. next fiscal year for use in mail collection and deliveries. The Zerosports van has a range of at least 100 km (62 miles) after an 8-hour charge.

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Japan Convert Electric Vehicles Li-ion 186

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 1, 2010

The Nikkei reports that the Japan government plans to encourage the inclusion of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ)—the first domestically produced regional jet in Japan—as part of Japan Airlines Corp.’s of Japan (ETIC). of Japan (ETIC). Tags: Brief. s (JAL) restructuring. Earlier post.).

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Mitsubishi Japan Corporation Parts 199

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 5, 2010

The Toyota Prius was the top-seller in Japan for the 14 th month in a row, according to the monthly brand ranking data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association. Four of the top ten selling models in japan in July were minivehicles. Tags: Brief. Sales of the Prius hit 34,456 units in July, up 24.3% year-on-year.

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Prius Japan Toyota Honda 186

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 8, 2010

has begun sales in Japan of a newly refreshed Fit (Jazz in other markets) model together with the all-new Fit Hybrid, a new addition to the Fit lineup. Under Japan’s 10-15 cycle, the Fit Hybrid has fuel economy of 30 km/liter (70.6 Since the introduction of Fit in June 2001, cumulative sales in Japan reached the 1.5

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Japan Honda Hybrid Sale 210

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 17, 2010

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation (MFTBC) will deliver 25 Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid trucks ( earlier post ) to Australia by the end of March, its largest delivery of hybrid trucks outside Japan. The first order for Fuso Hybrid trucks from a customer outside of Japan was received by MFTBC in October 2009. Tags: Brief.

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Mitsubishi Japan Hybrid Australia 186

Green Car Congress

MAY 30, 2009

Production of light-duty vehicles, trucks and buses in Japan fell 47.1% year-on-year in April, marking the seventh consecutive month of declines, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA). Japan’s exports of cars, trucks and buses fell 64.7% Tags: Brief. to 133,596 units. to 98,805 units.

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Japan Production Automobile Manufacturer Auto 199

Green Car Congress

MAY 1, 2009

Sales of passenger vehicle in Japan in April dropped 27.2% year-on-year to 146, 478 units, according to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association, the ninth consecutive month of decreasing sales. Tags: Brief. Total vehicle sales were down 28.6% to 166,365 units; Sales of standard-size cars fell 36.4% to 5,321 units.

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Japan Sale Auto Dealers 150

Green Car Congress

JUNE 4, 2009

Toyota’s new Prius was Japan’s top-selling vehicle in May, according to new car sales rankings —excluding minicars with displacements of less than 660 cc—released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association (JADA). Prius sales in Japan by month since January 2007. Tags: Brief. Data: JADA.

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Prius Japan Honda Insight 2008 170

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 11, 2010

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), one of Asia’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers and part of the Daimler Trucks division of Daimler AG, unveiled the eighth generation of the light-duty Canter truck in Tokyo/Kawasaki, Japan. The new Canter meets the Japan New Long-Term Emission Regulations (JP09) introduced in 2010.

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Japan Mitsubishi Light Maintenance 186

Green Car Congress

MAY 12, 2010

Itochu Corporation, Mazda, Family Mart, EnerDel and 11 other partners have launched a 3-year project in Tsukuba City, Japan—the “Green Crossover Project”—designed to showcase a real-world integration of the smart grid, stationary lithium-ion grid storage, electric vehicles, rapid recharging and renewable energy technologies.

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Li-ion Japan Green Charging 218

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 1, 2010

the minivehicle specialist in the Toyota Group, will supply minivehicles to Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) on an OEM basis for sale in Japan. In Japan, minivehicles are those with an engine displacement of no greater than 660 cc and exterior dimensions no greater than 340 cm in length, 148 cm in width and 200 cm in height.

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Japan Toyota Supplies Hybrid 199

Green Car Congress

JUNE 2, 2010

The sale of the i-MiEV in Australia marks the second market outside of Japan that the i-MiEV will be sold, after Hong Kong, which began sales in May of this year. The i-MiEV was first sold in Japan in July of 2009 mainly to corporations and municipalities, and in April of this year sales to individuals began. Tags: Brief.

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i-MiEV Mitsubishi Australia Japan 199

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 1, 2010

and All Japan Ryokan Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote development of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructures in hotels affiliated with the association and initiate a study in creating new demand in the hotel industry together with the promotion of EVs. Tags: Brief. Nissan Motor Co.,

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Japan Nissan Charging All-Electric 186

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 9, 2010

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced a recall related to the software program that controls the antilock braking system (ABS) in current-model Prius, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Sai and HS250h sold in Japan. Worldwide, Toyota has sold about 400,000 of the hybrid vehicles subject to the recall announced in Japan. Earlier post.)

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Prius Japan Plug-in Toyota 199

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 9, 2009

the developer of a new extraction process for algae oil ( earlier post ), will partner with Research Institute of Tsukuba Bio-Tech (RITB), recently approved for funding to develop algae-to-jet fuel applications by Japan Science & Technology Agency (JST). Tags: Brief. OriginOil, Inc., Development of Aircraft Fuel from Algae (Dr.

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Japan Fuel Mitsubishi Oil 199

Green Car Congress

JULY 3, 2009

Japan Post Service Co. Japan Post Services is also testing custom-built electric vehicles for mail pickup, and will also test the plug-in Prius from Toyota at the end of the year. Tags: Brief. will deploy 40 electric vehicles this fiscal year, with the first units in operation later this month. The i-MiEV and Plug-in Stella.

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Japan i-MiEV Mitsubishi Prius 150

Green Car Congress

JULY 10, 2009

Toyota’s Prius was the top-selling car in Japan in June for the second month in a row, with sales of 22,292 units—3.58 times June 2008 results of 6,231 units— according to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association (JADA). Sales of the Prius in Japan, which edged past US sales in May, were 71.5% Tags: Brief.

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Prius Japan Honda Insight Insight 199

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 10, 2010

was the first Japan refiner to begin mass-producing ETBE. Tags: Brief. Nippon Oil Corp. Earlier post.). Japanese oil refiners are expected to consume 840,000 kiloliters [222 million gallons US] of ETBE in fiscal 2010, more than four times as much as this fiscal year.

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Japan Gasoline Oil 2010 218

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 31, 2009

Vehicle production in Japan in July fell 31.9% year-on-year to 742,284 units—the tenth straight monthly decline— according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA). Tags: Brief. Passenger car production fell 31% (288,996 units) to 643,585 units. Toyota, the volume leader, suffered a 60.7%

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Japan Automobile Manufacturer Mazda Vehicles 186

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 1, 2010

MMC introduced the i-MiEV in Japan in July 2009, has started individual sales from this April and has sold about 3,000 units so far in Japan. Tags: Brief.

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i-MiEV Japan Mitsubishi Sale 218

Green Car Congress

JUNE 14, 2009

The Nikkei reports that Volkswagen will offer car sharing in Japan in partnership with Sumitomo Realty & Development Co. The cars will be models from Audi Japan KK. Tags: Brief.

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Japan Cars Audi Available 150

Green Car Congress

JULY 23, 2010

An editorial in Japan’s Nikkei argues that Japanese automakers need to respond aggressively to compete in the rapidly changing global market for electric vehicles.both Toyota and Honda had until recently thought that the era of hybrids would continue for a while before electric vehicles began to gain popularity. Tags: Brief.

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Japan China Auto Industry Obama 218

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MAY 20, 2010

In Japan, MMC first sold the i-MiEV mainly to corporations and municipalities in fiscal year 2009, with sales of about 1,400 units. Tags: Brief. UCL is offering the i-MiEV at a price of HK$395,000 (US$50,631), with a target to sell 50 units by the end of this year.

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i-MiEV Japan Mitsubishi Sale 240

Green Car Congress

JUNE 5, 2009

The government of Japan is focusing “ very determinedly ” on cellulosic biofuel as the future for Japan’s biofuel production, according to a report from the US Department of Agriculture’s Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN). Tags: Brief. Six million kl represents about 10% of domestic consumption.

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Japan 2006 2002 Oil 150

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 2, 2009

The emerging need for grid energy storage solutions is a worldwide phenomena, but most acute in Japan. The company enjoys a significant market share in Japan and has been focused on the development of new products that meet a variety of needs of electric power companies and railway companies throughout Japan ever since its inception in 1956.

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Energy Storage Japan Grid Li-ion 210

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 4, 2010

The Japan Automobile Dealers Association (JADA) reported a 4.1% Tags: Brief. The expiration of a Japanese government subsidy program on 7 September for green vehicles slowed domestic sales in September. drop in new car sales, the first decrease in 14 months. Sales of subcompacts fell 12.2% to 137,728 units. 1 and Sept.

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Japan Green Cars Sale Green 170