The sweeping shutdowns, which begin in August and run through the end of September, will hammer Toyota output in every major market -- Japan, the U.S., Europe, China and Asia.

The latest January suspensions hit 19 lines at 11 plants in Japan, out of a total of 28 lines in 14 plants.

The Nissan Z car, a 400-hp, twin-turbo symbol of the struggling Japanese automaker's revival, is the latest product launch to be derailed by global supply chain woes.

The production upgrades at the Hofu H2 assembly plant in western Japan will underpin upcoming production of new vehicles.

EV production should account for about 40 to 50 percent of Honda's total output in North America in 2030, or around 800,000 battery-electric vehicles.

Last year, Mazda sped up its electrification plan, saying electric vehicles would account for a quarter of global sales in 2030, with the rest of the portfolio employing some other form of electrification. But executives are now saying that outlook needs an update.

For a house-proud engineering force such as Honda, relying on GM for EV help may be surprising. But Honda expects to return to its old independent prowess in due time.

A key innovation is a new powertrain assembly technique called SUMO, short for simultaneous underfloor mounting operation. It foreshadows Nissan’s approach to next-gen EV production.

The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association says traditional automakers expect new entrants from other industries and that the Sony represents Japan’s turn at floating a hopeful new industry player.

The executive who runs Mazda's newest assembly plant says there is lots to learn from Mazda's gargantuan Japanese partner, Toyota.

Toyota and Lexus dealers, who have been getting by for months with some of the leanest inventories in history, will see that trickle of vehicles dry up further.

The Corolla Cross H2 Concept is just one of many advancements in hydrogen combustion that Toyota rolled out at Fuji Speedway. Toyota is about 40 percent of the way toward commercializing its hydrogen combustion technology, a top executive says.

The industry is settling into the new year acknowledging that it's not out of the woods yet on chip shortage disruptions.

Entering the EV era will require Lexus to not only engineer all-electric cars but reengineer the production process that builds them.