Latest news with #Tokyo-based
Indian Express
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- Indian Express
As carmakers struggle to integrate software systems into vehicles, Toyota weaves in its Arene toolkit
Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker, unveiled its latest RAV4 compact sport utility vehicle that would be the first model to feature its Arene software development platform. In the new RAV4, the Arene platform has helped with the development of software powering the car's new multimedia system's cockpit voice agent and centre console display, as well as advanced safety technologies. Tokyo-based Toyota sells more cars each year than any other auto major in the world. So, justifiably, it had similar big ambitions when it created its own in-house technology startup in 2021 as it set about trying to build software for its newer cars, especially hybrids and battery electric vehicles. This is in keeping with the reality of new-age cars being more of a software product than being just an over-engineered, hardware product. But like in the case of other legacy carmakers, Toyota struggled somewhat to get started with its project – initially called Woven Planet when it was set up in 2021, and subsequently re-christened Woven by Toyota. The Arene platform is the first big commercial product to come out of this repurposed venture, which, Toyota says, combines the company's 'decades of manufacturing expertise with modern software capabilities'. The Arene Advantages Toyota says Arene gives its suppliers a common platform and standardised processes for better management of complex, multi-stakeholder development projects. With Arene, Toyota and its suppliers are able to 'maximise coordination, ensure cross-stream visibility, and simplify integration and testing'. This new platform would also help the carmaker expand and accelerate software testing. Physical testing is complemented by virtual testing, which allows for software features to be analysed discreetly and on any model or trim for more exhaustive quality assurance. Arene is built on the concept of 'kaizen', or continuous improvement — an integral feature of the Toyota assembly line philosophy. Rather than traditional linear development, the new platform is designed to 'make use of the latest iterative development methodologies' and leverage 'the best value of software breakthroughs'. 'Through abstracted APIs (application programming interface, or the connections between computers or between computer programmes), architected software layers and advanced testing protocols, Arene applications are interchangeable across platforms and reusable across vehicle generations, meaning a bigger return on investment,' a company executive said. 'Woven by Toyota' Toyota, just like pretty much of the legacy auto industry, is faced with the prospect of enormous technological disruptions that could upend production processes and change the nature of their products – from a hardware offering to a supercomputer-on-wheels. Consumers of electric vehicles want immersive entertainment systems and features such as autonomous driving. These are not areas that companies like Toyota have had expertise in in the past, whereas EV makers such as Tesla and China's BYD or Nio are far more invested in the software side of the business. So Toyota's goal with this new startup was to create a separate organisation that was at an arm's-length from the parent group, with its legacy of manufacturing and obsessive bureaucracy. A Google employee was brought in late 2021 as CEO for this project. It was called Woven Planet initially, to acknowledge Toyota's history as a loom maker in the 1920s. This distinct software project was in line with what Volkswagen tried out with its CARIAD software unit. Things, however, started to go wrong over the next 24 months, and Toyota announced significant changes at the venture, and subsequently renamed it 'Woven by Toyota'. The unit was then infused with Toyota executives and a clear signal was sent out that there would be more collaboration between this new venture and Toyota Motor. Arene is therefore a milestone for Toyota's new project. A senior executive from Toyota Kirloskar Motor, the Japanese car major's India venture, said that the Japanese parent company had also launched retraining programmes for workers for the transition and that software engineers make up for a significant chunk of its mid-career hires, led by the company's autonomous driving unit. More software also means more data on consumers and on their driving behaviour, which legacy carmakers have been slow to tap as compared to EV makers.. The Software Transition This transition has been far easier for EV makers, who have progressively taken their software focus to near obsessive levels. The learning from both Tesla and BYD, the two EV market leaders, is that car brands are increasingly being differentiated by the consumer experience of using their inbuilt features, which is now determined much more by their software than the hardware. Amid this transition, software is also proving to be a weak link for legacy automakers. Like Toyota and Volkswagen, Japanese carmaker Honda Motor too plans to double the number of software programmers it employs to around 10,000 by 2030. This would involve deepening its partnership with Pune-based Indian software company KPIT Technologies, alongside building its own software engineering team. Amsterdam-headquartered Stellantis, formed after the merger of the Italian–American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France's PSA Group, and is now the world's fourth largest automaker, plans to hire over 1,000 software engineers in India by 2025, including for its autonomous vehicle plans. Volkswagen's CARIAD has now tied up with a Chinese software company in a collaborative approach. Most other legacy carmakers are falling back on Google's Android Auto and Apple's CarPlay to dovetail in-car plug-and-play software solutions. This is, however, accompanied by the problem of carmakers having to relinquish control and user data to Apple and Google. Anil Sasi is National Business Editor with the Indian Express and writes on business and finance issues. He has worked with The Hindu Business Line and Business Standard and is an alumnus of Delhi University. ... Read More
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump says steel tariffs will double to 50% while touting Japanese investment in U.S. Steel
President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the US Steel-Irvin Works on May 30, 2025, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. President Trump visits the steel factory after greenlighting the long-proposed merger between U.S. Steel and Tokyo-based Nippon Steel.(Photo by) President Donald Trump said he plans to double tariffs on steel imports Friday as he promoted a proposed $14 billion Japanese investment in Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel that he said would save the company and thousands of jobs. Speaking at U.S. Steel's Irvin Plant in West Mifflin, a week after he announced the partnership with Japan's Nippon Steel, Trump criticized the Biden administration for relaxing steel industry protections in 2021. 'The exemptions that they gave allowed foreign competitors that come in and steal our industry, steal our jobs and bring them back home and bring them home by the boatload,' Trump said standing in front of steel mill workers in orange, reflective coveralls and hard hats. Some held signs reading 'Make U.S.S. Great Again.' Trump said the 25% tariff on foreign steel he reinstated at the start of his second term would increase to 50% to 'even further secure the steel industry in the United States.' 'Nobody is going to get around that,' he said. Nippon began courting U.S. Steel in December 2023 with a $14.9 billion offer, which was approved by shareholders. Political opposition to the sale centered on the national security implications of selling one of America's largest steel companies to a foreign corporation. The deal was stranded for most of last year as President Joe Biden awaited a recommendation from the Council on Foreign Investment in the United States. Like Biden, Trump also initially opposed the sale, but announced May 23 in a post on Truth Social that the deal was back on. He described it as a 'planned partnership' between the Japanese and American companies that would bring $14 billion of investment in a matter of months. The domestic steel and aluminum industries have long been a focus of Trump's trade policy. He reintroduced the 25% tariff on imports of the metals even before he announced his broad duties on products made overseas that he said would bring manufacturing back to American shores. 'When I came into office eight years ago, I proclaimed a simple but truly important principle, if you don't have steel, you don't have a country,' Trump said. 'A strong steel industry is not just a matter of dignity or prosperity and pride, it's above all, a matter of national security.' In his hour-long speech, Trump also touched on his administration's immigration policy and recognized Pennsylvania elected officials in the audience, including Rep. Dan Meuser (R-9th District), a likely GOP candidate for governor next year. 'If you run, you've got my support,' Trump said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Trump's remarks, however, focused on the long-delayed merger but provided few additional details for anxious investors. Nippon and U.S. Steel have not officially disclosed terms of the rumored transaction. Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) said the merger would be subject to a 'national security agreement' under which the U.S. government would appoint some of the company's directors. Trump, instead, highlighted how he said it would benefit the Monongahela River Valley, where three of U.S. Steel's plants employ nearly 4,000 workers. Nippon would invest $2.2 billion to increase production in the Mon Valley Works and $200 million in the company's Advanced Technology Research and Development Center in nearby Munhall. The post-merger U.S. Steel would also maintain all of its currently operating blast furnaces at full capacity for a minimum of 10 years. 'We have that as a commitment,' Trump said. And Trump promised there would be no outsourcing work or layoffs and that every U.S. Steel worker would receive a $5,000 bonus. 'You've gone through a lot, it's closing. It's not closing,' Trump said to the crowd. He brought several union leaders to the microphone, including Jason Zugai, vice president of USW Local 2227, and a third-generation steelworker. Zugal thanked elected officials including McCormick, Mueser and state Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Dauphin) for their concern as the sale took shape. 'These investments are life changing for all the men and women here today and for our communities,' Zugai said. USW International President David McCall said in a statement Friday evening that the union remains concerned about the effects the merger will have on national security, its members and the communities where they work. 'We have not participated in the discussions involving U.S. Steel, Nippon Steel, and the Trump administration, nor were we consulted, so we cannot speculate about the meaning of the 'planned partnership' between USS and Nippon or the 'golden share' that some politicians have claimed will be issued to the federal government,' McCall said. McCall said the union's only concerns are the long-term viability and sustainability of the current U.S. Steel facilities to safeguard the employment and retirement security of its members. So far, he said, the union has seen only public relations and not commitments in writing. 'Issuing press releases and making political speeches is easy. Binding commitments are hard,' McCall said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Steelworkers Union Skeptical of Nippon, U.S. Steel Deal Touted by Trump
The union that represents more than half of U.S. Steel employees remains skeptical of the partnership that President Trump announced between the firm and its Japanese suitor Nippon Steel, saying it hasn't been consulted about the deal that Trump touted in a Pennsylvania speech on Friday. Trump has hailed the planned deal between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel as a 'partnership.' The Tokyo-based steelmaker for the past year and a half has been pursuing a $14 billion takeover of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, in recent months pledging additional investment in the company's plants to help win Trump's backing.
UPI
20 hours ago
- Business
- UPI
Trump announces 50% tariffs on foreign steel in rally at U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh
May 30 (UPI) -- President Donald on Friday announced a 50% tariff on steel made outside the United States as he touted a partnership between Japan's Nippon Steel Corporation and the United States Steel Corporation during a rally near Pittsburgh. Calling it the "heart of U.S. Steel," Trump spoke at the company's headquarters in Allegany County. The indoor rally began around 5:30 p.m. and ended one hour later. Steelworkers wearing hard hats sat behind him, with some called to the podium to praise the deal and Trump. During the appearance, he announced the tariff change. "We are going to be imposing a 25% increase, we're going to bring it from 25% to 50% the tariffs on steel into the United States of America," the president said to cheers. On Feb. 11, Trump restored a 25% tariff on steel and increased the aluminum tariff from 10% to 25%. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the European Union, Ukraine and Britain had received exemptions, "which prevented the tariffs from being effective," according to the order. He touted the efforts of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessett and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who were on hand. One week ago, Trump announced a "planned partnership between the two steel giants, promising the U.S. Steel headquarters would remain on American soil rather than shift to Japan. Trump said the deal includes "vital protections to ensure that all steelworkers will keep their jobs and all facilities in the United States will remain open and thriving." Writing on Truth Social, Trump said the new tariffs will take effect June 4. Also, he said U.S. Steel would also keep all of its blast furnace facilities at full capacity for at least the next decade and vowed that there would be "no layoffs and no outsourcing whatsoever." Trump, who opposed the acquisition during the 2024 campaign, is now touting the $14 billion investment that the president said would create at least 70,000 jobs. "You're going to be very happy," Trump said Friday. "There's a lot of money coming your way." Every U.S. steelworker would be receiving a $5,000 bonus, he said. At one time, U.S. Steel dominated production worldwide, but over the years it has "melted away just like butter melts away" as China mainly poured what he said was "garbage steel" into the country. "If you don't have steel, you don't have a country," Trump said in citing national security. U.S. Steel, which was founded in 1901, has about 22,000 employees with revenue of $15.6 billion in 2024. Nippon, which traces its roots to Japan Iron & Steel Co. in 1934, has about 113,640 workers with revenue of $43 billion in 2019. This week, CNBC reported Tokyo-based Nippon Steel will pay $55 per share to acquire U.S. Steel, citing sources familiar with the deal. Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel shares rose $0.59 or 1.11% to $53.82 at the close of the U.S. Stock Exchange on Friday afternoon. The two steel companies were working on a deal before Trump took office on Jan. 20. Days before leaving office in January, former President Joe Biden blocked Nippon Steel's proposed $14.1 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel. Biden cited national security concerns when rejecting the deal involving the second-largest American steel producer and Japan's largest. Both firms later filed separate federal lawsuits in the District of Columbia and in Pennsylvania to move the deal ahead, citing "unlawful political influences." In April, Trump issued an executive order directing a review of the acquisition by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a branch of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. U.S. Steel stock surged at the time, climbing more than 10% in a single day. The president has said the deal will have a major positive economic effect. The deal "will create at least 70,000 jobs, and add $14 Billion Dollars to the U.S. Economy. The bulk of that Investment will occur in the next 14 months," Trump said on Truth Social last week. He also teased Friday's rally at U.S. Steel's Irvin Works factory. "President Trump is a bold leader and businessman who knows how to get the best deal for America, American workers and American manufacturing," Trump said in a statement to The Hill on Friday. "U.S. Steel greatly appreciates President Trump's leadership and personal attention to the futures of thousands of steelworkers and our iconic company." Trump touted other companies increasing production in the United States. During his speech, sometimes ad-libbed, he ventured into other areas, noting undocumented immigrants coming into the nation in "open borders." He also bragged about winning all the battleground states during the 2024 election, including Pennsylvania. He blasted Biden and called Democrats "lunatics." He voiced his support for the U.S. budget bill, which is moving through Congress, including extension of the 2017 tax cuts, no taxes on tips or overtime, deductions on loan interest for U.S.-made cars and permanent extension of the $2,000 per child credit. He didn't mention Medicaid cuts and other program reductions. Former Steelers running back Rocky Bleier presented Trump with a Steelers 47 jersey as two current players also were called up to speak: quarterback Mason Rudolph and safety Miles Killbrew. The rally was about 35 miles south of Butler, where he survived an assassination attempt on July 13, two days before the National Republican Convention in Milwaukee, Wis.
Business Journals
21 hours ago
- Business
- Business Journals
Trump gives more details about U.S. Steel, Nippon Steel deal
President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the U.S. Steel Irvin Works on May 30, 2025 in West Mifflin. President Trump visits the steel factory after greenlighting the long-proposed merger between U.S. Steel and Tokyo-based Nippon Steel.
