
Japan's Kobe Steel has increased the number of firms it says have been affected by its data fabrication scandal from 200 to 500, and has also found inappropriate actions relating to nine more products, including falsifying data. Earlier this week, Kobe admitted falsifying quality data on some of its products for up to a decade.

The sale of brand new cars in Mercosur giant Brazil went up 3.65 percent in the first half of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 and crossing the psychologically significant 1-million-unit mark, according to auto industry sources. Brazil has been a traditional top-10 global market for cars.

Toyota lost its crown as the world's top-selling automaker in 2016, company figures showed Monday, with the Japanese giant overtaken by Volkswagen as the industry prepares for an uncertain trade environment under Donald Trump. The German automaker moved back into the top spot despite being hit by a massive emissions cheating scandal that rocked its reputation.

Germany's Volkswagen became the world's biggest-selling vehicle maker in the first half of the year, overtaking Toyota for the first time. VW sold 5.04 million cars between January and June - slightly more than the 5.02 million sold by Toyota.

Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corp. plans to invest 800 million dollars to boost production capacity at a factory in the province of Buenos Aires. The plan unveiled by Argentine Industry Minister Debora Giorgi will almost double the size of the factory and allows to increase vehicle output to 140,000 units a year from 92,000 currently.

General Motors outsold Toyota for the first time in six quarters, rising atop the industry and underscoring the resurgence of US automakers.

Toyota from Japan has inaugurated its third plant in Brazil that aims to produce 70,000 cars a year. The facility, located 90 kilometres west of Sao Paulo in Sorocaba, will begin producing Etios compact cars next month, with engines imported from Japan.

Toyota, the world's biggest automaker said Monday it will temporarily halt work at factories in Brazil and Argentina due to the lack of parts from Japan after the massive March quake and tsunami.

A complicated week for Japan: car production in April plunged as manufacturers continue to face a shortfall in parts supply and credit rating agencies downgraded the outlook on the country’s debt to negative from stable.

Toyota executives in Brazil and Argentina announced they are cutting production at two assembly plants for three days because they don’t have enough parts from Japan due to the recent earthquake and tsunami.