Toyota increasing stake in Subaru?
April 3, 2008 by George Skentzos
Toyota could be planning to increase its current 8.7 percent stake in Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. – the company behind Subaru, reports Nikkei English News.
The transaction is said to be valued at over AUD$320million, with Toyota planning to increase its stake by 64.25 million shares to 17 percent.
Now the current majority shareholder, Toyota pursued Fuji in 2005 after General Motors ended its stake in the company.
Toyota and Subaru are currently collaborating to produce a low-cost spiritual successor to the AE86 with a lightweight, rear-drive, boxer-powered sports car.
The transaction will be reviewed by Japan’s Fair Trade Commission.
Print it: 
OH WHAT A FEELING … TOYOTA
Jump Dingo Jump
The Aurion has average rectangular front headlights that are droppy at the top with a boring curvature…..if we went back to previous model Camry around 3-5yrs ago (one with driving lights like eliptical) and installed that front end on Aurion it would be perfect. I still like it but it is too so bland and headlight and grille!
typo…..at headlights and grille!
I’M JUMPING … I’M JUMPING – but it still doesn’t change the fact that Toyota outsold Holden and Ford combined while 6 of the top sellers were Toyota’s.
JUMP, JUMP, JUMP … I’M STILL JUMPING !!
NM BS… The Aurion looks good… I have friends who dont care about cars (unbiased) who say the same thing. The Falcon on the other hand…. boooooring, FG is a BF slightly updated.
Poison… OH WHAT A FEELING LOL
TP…..is BS. You know this! I told you I would get a Sportivo Aurion as gold one I seen looked fine as! If you want a car for dynamic looks alone…..look elsewhere! The Corolla air intake at bottom and on sides is done to death by Toyota and Astra and many many many others! It is the lights what need doing and grille…..why; as boring bland!
You toyota pullers are same same…..Toyota is so good and big and they had to get full on Government intervention with funding in Japan for Prius. So much for your claim to fame on being giant in industry as to get all the funds is a huge joke! One does not need to be 5ft across the forehead to see that reality! Obviously you toyota pullers are too jaded to see that light! LMAO….HA HA HA HA!
No evidnece of funding… regardless people in glass houses dont throw stones, your beloved Ford had funding for hybrid in I6 engine. Whats happening to I6 now? Scrapped. I WANT MY TAX PAYER DOLLARS BACK FORD!
LOL…..you are amazing and ignorant as. You believe your gut feeling when evidence produced! Goose
Read stories on Prius…..its out there! Like you are! LOL
NM you are thick mate. Whre is the evidence? Its speculation it was funded. Toyota denied it. Both the speculation and denial have no facts backing them up.
Obviously you believe your fetish being Toyota. I put more credence in someone who has worked there! Gee you are stupid as where there is smoke there is fire….. obviously Toyota would deny it but it stands to reason as Prius first off block!
Former head of Toyota North America and current Chrysler co-President, Jim Press, has come out with a huge bombshell by saying development of the iconic Prius hybrid car was subsidised by the Japanese government.
Published towards the end of March, ‘BusinessWeek’, Press said that while he was working at Toyota, “The Japanese government paid for 100 percent of the development of the battery and hybrid system that went into the Toyota Prius”
What will you say next stupid…..that this is a lie and there is no Jim Press!
As I said, its called HERESAY. I dont think you learnt this, you left in year 10 right? And I dont really care if it was 100% subsidied, refer to above comment RE I6, at least its made it into production and is succesful, the hybrid I6 paid by AUSTRALIAN taxpayers is a complete flop.
No, it’s actually called HEARSAY.
Your HERESAY is where you stand in a particular place and say something. A bit like you on your soapbox.
HERESY is something different again, which is an opinion contrary to teachings of the church or other popular opinion. Actually, TP, you might have meant that all along!
Hehe, someone else might have left in Year 10, too.
TP….mate you struggle to spell and you only can look at things through your feeble Toyota obsession. Its funny how you can dismiss whether full funding was given to Toyota….I would be more worried about your crap thinking and obsessive stupidity then to look at my Year 10 as you put it. You sink to a massive low and alienate yourself through idiotic comments and beliefs! Get a shiela mate! Did you have one of those in kindie when you left?
Who cares … who seriuosly gives a damn if the Prius was funded by another party. Personally, myself and just about anyone else couldn’t give a sh*t.
Toyota has obviuosly squashed the aspirations of you Holden and Ford lovers into an oblivian (
Who cares … who seriuosly gives a damn if the Prius was funded by another party. Personally, myself and just about anyone else couldn’t give a sh*t.
Toyota has obviuosly squashed the aspirations of you Holden and Ford lovers into an oblivian (spelling) as you desperate clowns are resorting to negligable nit picking on issues that the rest of world couldn’t careless about.
It must soul wrenching to witness the sales charts month after month so i suggest you weaklings harden up before your ar*es completely drop out from those Size 20 Toyota Steel Capped Boots that are continually kicking the sh8t out of you clowns.
Hey dipstick…..life and things are cyclic. Your world revolves around one thing and is sad! Look at all world things clear as your obsessed and boringly jaded!
hey clown … EXACTLY – which is why the globe has warmed off GM and Ford motor-vehicles for much, much better models.
Enjoy your soul wrenching, aspiration squeashing and size 20 steel capped a*se kicking boot from Toyota month after month and no-doubt for a long, long time yet.
Oh yeah, that is Mr Dipstick to you thanks !!
Yes Mr Grumps and Toyota will have its season you silly little man! Thats reality! With everything in life….except your shallow singlemindness will remain constant!
Thats why Iam not offended by you or TP….as Iam not an out and out supporter of one car like you! Gee isnt Hyundai and Kia doing really well and big model range. Wait til you see there Kia Rio hybrid which only costs 20% more then a standard Rio…….and you spruik on about Toyota having cutting edge R&D. The only thing cutting edge is the game is changing and its self absorbed people like you who cant see light from day. Toyota’s day cometh!
and charging a premium for there Hybrids when they are available for sale……do you think Toyota will sharpen the pen on price as it will be overpriced like current Prius hybrid. Read the writing on the wall as it will happen.
i bought a vehicle from ford not shares.
it doesnt phase me in the slightest what the month to month sales produce.
high sales isnt proof of the BEST vehicle.
if it was then how come the 2 biggest toyota sellers (corolla and Hilux) are easily only mid pack when it comes to Journo reviews?
and dont give me your speil on farmers and tradies blah blah blah forged a reputation over years blah blah blah
TP and Dingo (aka Drongo) seem to completely miss my point and that is Toyota has no spirit – it has no soul. Toyota’s are run of the mill vehicles made for run of the mill people. Reliable – to an extent, yes. The Celicas need an inordinate amount of servicing. Quality, hmmm no. I have about 6 major reasons why not – not the least of which are paint runs on a brand new car!
Give me an example of the spirit of Toyota. Apart from a mid 90’s attempt with the GT4, Toyota has nothing. TRD is marketing hype in an attempt to put some soul into the place. But you cant buy soul. It needs to be part of the company’s framework. Some car companies have it, and others, like Toyota, do not.
And THAT is the biggest problem with this buy out. That the spirit of Subaru, which was started by a small bunch of guys in Fuji who, off their own bat, said “you know, I think we should build a car. Why? Because we can. Well lets go do it.” And so the innovation began.
Subaru. Spirit. Not a ‘lets make mediocre products for the masses’ corporation.
Higher flier … forget you dismal attempt at trying to discredit Toyota with your no soul claim.
Soul or no soul … fact is – Toyota is a highly regarded, respected and sought aftered brand that has established a nameplate for manufacturing quality, robust, reliable / dependable vehicles that are competive in all facets of engineering.
Over the past few years – Toyota has grown in strength, recognition and wealth beyond any other manufactuer and thier success has really shacken the foundations of the American owned manufacters.
Soul or no soul – Toyota is achieveing results ‘far and beyond’ what the likes of GM and Ford can invisage to achieve in thier current dismal state.
Today GM and Ford are broke, unprofitable and unstable (no soul to be found there) with no concrete plans in reversing thier fortunes anytime soon and to make thier dire situation more difficult – an ever increasing proportion of the global market are switching thier preferances to other manufactuers because quite frankly – the bulk of them engineer better motor vehicles and even if they are not, prefer them then a GM or Ford product regardless.
Every manufacturer has issues including Toyota but the fact remains – thier current approach is undeniably the most successful amoung of all returning results that any other automotive manufactuer would envy.
Not only has Toyota established itself as one of the worlds greatest manufactuers but so has Lexus while thier motorsport adventures are certainly taking hold aswell and none of it happens by mistake but because of persistance in achieveing a quality product for the market.
Take a look at Toyota’s presance in Australia compared to Holden :
Mainstream Toyota itself is the most diverse, stable and consistant fleet of all filling every segment with quality motor vehicles. Then there is Lexus which has considerably revamped it’s fleet aswell with some damn impressive examples while TRD Oz is continuing it’s slow but steady establishment that will no doubt successfully fill the gap between mainstream Toyota and it’s luxury market covered by Lexus.
Now lets talk about Holden for example – HSV range is good and certainly bang for your buck value while the Commodore range is OK but certainly nothing more. That mentioned, what about the rest of it’s fleet … quite frankly is it pathetic with some of the most awful examples that be purchased from any showroom floor in Australia today.
Thier new found passion for Daewoo not forgetting the 2 star death trap Barina is seriuosly flawed while the Rodeo is an ordinary commercial / 4×4 at the very best.
Where is the passion and soul in these cars … you would have to be an absolute dead-beat to think any of these Holdens have character and spice about them because quite frankly, they are awful motor vehicles.
If your Holdens and Fords are so great with character and soul, then explain to the rest of bloggers why thier cars are selling more poorly now then they ever have while Toyota on the other hand remarkedly grows in comsumer popularity at every passing year. It very much appears that soul is having little or no effect in selling cars for Holden and Ford so what does that suggest … not bloody much that’s for sure !!
But then again – Holden and Ford don’t have any soul left because it’s been has been wrenched out and shredded apart by Toyota over the past few years …. ooch – that would have to hurt !!
Oh yeah – selling Daewoo’s is not the framework for injecting soul and passion into your brand but if you engineer and manufactuer a quality product for the consumer – it will sell regardless !!
Holden lost it’s soul long ago and people like yourself live in the past while the bulk of the world has moved on. Forget trying to state that companies like Holden have soul because things like that are not dicovered in poor quality, unreliable and troublesome motor vehicles … PERIOD !!
The likes of Holden and GM have sold second rate, poor quality, unreliable and pathetic vehicles for many years and believe ‘you-me’ … most consumers couldn’t give a sh*t about soul if they are crap cars and the market is the only ‘True Judge Of All’ that makes or breaks sales.
Dingo
You seemingly ignore the fact that Toyota have made little impression in the Euro market.
Admitedly GM have made slow progress in recovering lost market share although they have four ten sellers in the UK. Toyota feature nowhere here.
February 2008 sales
Astra, Focus, Corsa, Golf, Fiesta, Vectra, Zafira, Pug 207, BMW 3 series, Ford Mondeo.
So wheres Toyoto, the almighty Toyota, stuck in the pacific rim is my guess.
for top ten sellers…sorry
6 of the top 10 best sellers in March 2008 … Toyota’s
2006 – Toyota beat 2nd place Holden by 66 000 units
2007 – Toyota beat 2nd place Holden by 90 000 units
2008 – if trend remains, Toyota will beat 2nd place holden by approx 10 000 units.
Holdens soul has been torn out shredded to bits … ooch !!
make that 100 000 units … missed an 0 – how dare i !!
I say boycott Dingo and TP……………
Dingo you seem to think the fact Toyota sells more cars is absolutely devastating to the ENTHUSIAST AUDIENCE of this site aswell as the car brands themselves. Your speeches are riddled with ‘ ouch thats gotta hurt’ which is laughably tacky and speaks volumes about the type of little person you are.
Holden and Ford both make good, WELL ENGINEERED cars (Korean shyte aside) that will actually put a smile on your face- occurance of faults might be higher than Toyota, but alot of people are willing to take that chance because they don’t want the automotive equivalent of snoring. By the way, Toyota’s success goes hand in hand with the fact our population has aged significantly in recent years.
I’m not anti Toyota, the Yaris is a genuinely impressive car that has a unique interior. But you and TP are p*issing into the wind with the frankly sad and pathetic amount of time and effort you put into that utter crap.
I bet less people would buy Toyota’s if they happened upon you two strapping young abortions.
Dingo I fell asleep during that. Just sums up the whole Toyota experience to me Zzzzzzzzzzzz.
Stop it Dingo you’re making me totally wet! Lets meet up again, this time I’ll be the catcher.
Aaaw thats not good blagging someones name.
Your right No Name, I apologise TP ; you were asking for it though.
Boy oh boy, I bet things get interesting in here tomorrow. What a shame I have more important things to do.
There yah go TP – thats me backing you up. No probs. ;)
wast up stanley yelatns?
love the slice..?
Dingo You say that we are living in the past yet the rest of the world has moved on.
If thats the case how do you explain the popularity of the modern versions of cars like the Mustang the Camaro The Corvette The Charger and The Challenger or even the GT – to name a few
The reason is because of the name. The people who are now able to buy an 08 Mustang for example were kids back when the original Mustang was around. Simply hearing the name Mustang evokes emotions and memories from their childhood
back then they dreamed of owning such a car and now they are able to fulfil a childhood dream
Car companies realise this which is why even though the new models are completely different to the originals in virually all areas apart from looks they continue to use iconic names of the classics
I mean I don;t think the name Corolla or Celica conjures up quite the same emotions or memories as Mustang or Camaro
and Im yet to see a Toytoa from the 60-70s sell for $400K+