Steel Output Mounting The Steel industry, which consists of companies engaged in the extraction of iron ore and coke coal for the processing of iron and steel, has the major chunk of sales concentrated with a few producers. The industry includes metal ore exploration and mining services, iron and steel foundries for smelting, rolling, forging, spinning, recycling, stamping, polishing and plating of iron and steel products such as pipes, tubes, wire, spring, rolls and bars. The largest drivers of steel consumption have historically been the automotive and construction markets, which make up more than 50% of total steel consumption. Other steel consuming industries include appliances, converters, containers, tin, energy, electrical equipment, agricultural, domestic and commercial equipment and industrial machinery. Large automakers such as General Motors, Ford Motor Company ([url=http://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/f]F[/url]), Toyota Motor Corporation ([url=http://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/tm]TM[/url]) and Honda Motor Company ([url=http://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/hmc]HMC[/url]) depend upon the steel industry. ArcelorMittal ([url=http://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/mt]MT[/url]) is ...

Japan’s biggest automaker, Toyota Motor Corporation (TM), is reportedly slashing production capacity at one of its factories in Japan, with domestic sales falling to their lowest point in over 30 years. The company will suspend production at one of the two production lines at the Takaoka plant in Aichi prefecture, central Japan from 2010 until the second half of 2011, lowering the facility’s overall capacity by 49% or 220,000 vehicles. Toyota also plans to shut New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) in California, a joint-venture factory with General Motors. In June, GM had pulled out of the joint venture after filing for bankruptcy. Toyota also plans to halt production lines at plants in Japan and U.K. These moves would cut the company’s production capacity by 700,000 vehicles to 1 million vehicles from its total annual capacity of 10 million vehicles. The company plans to produce 6.68 ...

Nissan losses lower than expected   The world’s third largest carmaker, Nissan Motor Company (NSANY), posted a modest net loss of 9 cents (¥4.06) per share in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. The loss was largely driven by the slump in global car demand, negative impact of a stronger yen, sharp decline in consumer confidence in all the major markets and product mix deterioration. Reported losses were significantly lower than the Zacks consensus forecast of 80 cents. Cost-cutting efforts, coupled with the government stimulus, helped Nissan curb losses in the quarter. The government of US, Germany, Japan and China are offering consumers credits, tax breaks and subsidies for trading in old cars for new fuel-efficient models. However, we remain concerned about Nissan’s prospects as these government incentives will not be available for much longer. Operating costs shrunk 37% year over year to $25.2 billion ...

KYOTO, Japan -- May 19 2009 -- Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO)(TOKYO:6971) announced today that it is supplying solar modules for the new Toyota Prius solar ventilation system, an optional feature for the hybrid car model introduced in Japan by Toyota Motor Corporation (hereafter "Toyota") on May 18.

Toyota Motor Corporation (TM) is the largest automaker in the world in terms of sales and production. A strong presence in North America has been further consolidated by gaining market share from the leading U.S. automakers. Moreover, the company also has a strong cash flow and a strong balance sheet. However, Toyota is unable to offset sales losses in the U.S. even as it continues an aggressive expansion in China, the Middle East, and other emerging markets. The company is suffering from sluggish U.S. economy, rising costs, pricing pressures, and huge capital expenditures. Improved sales efforts, successful cost containment measures, and Toyota's technological advancement are some of the positive factors associated with the stock. It recently downgraded sales and production guidance for fiscal 2009. These prompt us to rate the stock a hold with a six-month target price of $55.00. Read

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Toyota (NYSE:TM): A First Time For Everything

This morning, Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM) announced it expects its first loss in 70 years. But the Japanese automaker sits on almost $19 billion is cash with little debt - a far cry from the dismal situation over a General Motors (NYSE: GM).

Around the world governments have been struggling to find answers to the collapse of the credit markets. The result has been massive government investments and bailouts. But it’s been the auto industry that’s drawn the most criticism and debate.

Canada just announced it would be injecting $3.3 billion into its auto production to prevent production from moving across the boarder. And their auto industry accounts for a much larger share of their economy than in the United States.

Their program helps Toyota and Honda Motor Corp (NYSE: HMC) as well, not just the

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