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Toyota, Mazda drop Takata as Mitsubishi, Subaru weigh options

It's not a very good time to be Takata right now. Fresh on the heels of longtime partner Honda ditching them, Toyota and Mazda have both come out and said they will not use the company's airbag inflators if they continue to rely on ammonium nitrate. Bloomberg reports that Subaru and Mitsubishi are also contemplating a divorce. "The inflator using ammonium nitrate produced by Takata will not be adopted by Toyota," President Akio Toyoda said during a briefing today. "What's most important above anything else is the safety and peace of mind of customers." Mazda echoed that position, simply saying it "will not use Takata airbag inflators which contain ammonium nitrate in our new cars." When you lose three huge OEM accounts in as many days, it's certainly going to have a deleterious effect on your fortunes. In Takata's case, that's meant a staggering 39-percent drop in their share price over the last three days. Yesterday alone, the company saw a 6.2-percent fall, Bloomberg reports. As the business publication reports, though, Takata isn't going down without a fight. The company is "considering some plans to survive," including a fundraising plan that will see it potentially offer up additional shares for sale. Still, at least one analyst doesn't see whatever company survives staying involved in the airbag inflator business. "I really don't see how they're going to be able to survive as an inflator manufacturer," Valient Market Research founder Scott Upham told Bloomberg. "When your major clients publicly come out and say that they're not going to use your products anymore, it makes this very difficult to sustain your business." News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Carlos Osorio / AP Honda Mazda Mitsubishi Subaru Toyota Safety supplier

Investigators say Mitsubishi mpg scandal was 'collective failure'

Investigators hired by Mitsubishi Motors to probe why the Japanese automaker engaged in falsifying fuel-economy figures for the past quarter-century faulted the company's "corporate culture." Specifically, there was a lack of unity between divisions, company-wide pressure to boost fuel-efficiency numbers, and an unwillingness to accept fuel-economy shortfalls, Automotive News says, citing comments made by consultants who hired by the company to investigate the problems. Challenging management authority even if it was proper to do so was also frowned upon. One of the investigators called the scandal "a collective failure." Among other suggestions, the consultants recommended that Mitsubishi's vehicle-mileage certification be independent from research and development, that there's greater transparency overall, and that there's a more thorough understanding of laws. New shareholder Nissan may also invest in retooling Mitsubishi's R&D operations, and is sending one of its former executives, Mitsuhiko Yamashita, to Mitsubishi to try to prevent any sort of repeat problems. Mitsubishi joined a list of automakers including Volkswagen, Hyundai/Kia, and Ford that have been found in recent years to either mislead with its published fuel-efficiency figures or emissions-testing procedures. A Nissan spokesman declined to comment on the Mitsubishi report, according to Automotive News. The recommendation comes less than three months after the announcement that Nissan would help rescue Mitsubishi from its fuel-economy scandal by acquiring part of the company. Nissan agreed in May to pay $2.2 billion for a 34-percent stake in Mitsubishi, and said at the time that Mitsubishi would join the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Nissan also owns 15 percent of France-based Renault. That announcement came right after Mitsubishi's admission that it may have falsified fuel-economy data for every one of its vehicles made in Japan dating back to 1991. Related Video: News Source: Automotive NewsImage Credit: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images Green Mitsubishi Nissan Fuel Efficiency scandal diesel scandal

Renault invests in sailing ships to reduce its carbon footprint

Renault is taking a page from the golden age of sailing as the company looks towards reducing its carbon footprint through the use of cargo sailing ships. The French automaker recently announced its partnership with Neoline, a start-up enterprise based in the west of France. The firm specializes in reducing the cost and emissions of typical cargo ships, by reintroducing sailing into the transportation equation. Renault's goal is to reduce its global carbon footprint by 25 percent in 2022, as compared to where they were in 2010. This plan also includes a separate target, to lower supply chain emissions - which includes shipping methods such as trucks, trains, and cargo ships - by 6 percent, compared to levels in 2016. Two prototype cargo vessels, complete with a full set of sails, will be introduced by 2021-22. These two ships will travel between the U.S. eastern seaboard (exact locations are TBD) and the French port cities of Saint-Nazaire and Saint-Pierre & Miquelon. Specifics about what exactly the ships will be carrying has not been released, though Renault is part of an extensive global auto alliance that includes Nissan and Mitsubishi. "For nearly 10 years, we have been working to identify the most environmentally sustainable solutions," said Jean-Francois Salles, Alliance global director, production control. "For example, optimizing the fill rates of the containers and trucks, producing eco-friendly packaging, and implementing a multi-modal system." The current demonstration vessel measures in at 446 feet in total length and has more than 45,000 square-feet of sail. For all you big ship fans out there, the Titanic was about double this size, stretching about 882-feet in length. When powered solely by the wind, Neoline CEO, Jean Zanuttini, says that total emissions drop by as much as 90 percent, versus the carbon footprint of a traditional cargo vessel. Related Video: Green Mitsubishi Nissan Renault Green Culture Technology renault-nissan greenhouse gases shipping ship cargo ship