Automotive

Japanese auto parts suppliers are ramping up their research and development spending as they aim to secure viable futures for themselves in a rapidly changing industry.

Five major automakers including Honda Motor begin field tests next month in the U.S. for a blockchain-based vehicle identification system that would let drivers automatically pay parking fees or highway tolls without using cash or cards.

A team of developers said Thursday they have succeeded in sharply upgrading a new type of electric vehicle that uses electricity transmitted from coils embedded in road surfaces.

A compact driverless bus on Tuesday slowly shuttled a dozen passengers on public roads near the Makuhari Messe convention center in the city of Chiba to give them a sense of the steering wheel- and pedal-free future of transport.

As others automakers plan battery-powered SUVs and trucks, Toyota Motor Corp.’s vision for the future of driving remains a hydrogen-sipping sedan.

Arm Holdings, the British chip technology firm owned by Japan's Softbank Group Corp, is joining with automakers General Motors Co and Toyota Motor Corp to establish common computing systems for self-driving cars, an effort the companies hope will speed development of the technology.

Toyota Motor's expansion of its capital partnership with Subaru aims to help Japan's largest automaker develop a balanced worldwide network for emerging technologies such as self-driving vehicles, as upstarts vie with established players to set global standards.

Buses may not be the most glamorous mode of transport, but at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games they will represent Toyota Motor Corp.’s best bet for wider acceptance of hydrogen power — technology so far eclipsed by electric vehicles.

Honda Motor will stop selling diesel vehicles in Europe by 2021, becoming the latest global automaker to end development of the engine in favor of electrified cars.

An international conference on fuel cells that is scheduled to open here Wednesday is set to call for powering 10 million vehicles -- including trains, planes and automobiles -- with the environmentally friendly technology in 10 years, Nikkei has learned.