From BusinessWeek.com

Toyota's Jim Press Discusses the Future  Toyota North America’s new head on moving the company forward, his role, the competition and alternative fuel. '' We recognize more and more hybrid technology is going to be a key technology for the future success of this business. Hybrid is going to be hybrid diesel. Fuel cell cars are hybrids. The internal combustion engine cars we are selling today are hybrids. Flex fuel vehicles will be hybrids. Hybrid is the enabling technology that makes all of those more efficient. Diesel, gasoline, hydrogen and biodiesel are all fuels that feed through a common system, which is a hybrid. This is the thing we’re developing. Hybrid is the way you gain the synergy of combining stored energy that you store when you don’t need it and release when you do".

A Short History of Japanese Luxury Cars Tracking the short, but incredibly successful reign of Japanese luxury marques in the U.S.

From Knowledge@Wharton

Podcast: George Day: Keeping an Eye on Distant Events that Can Make or Break Your Company   

In Wharton marketing professor George Day's world, the term "peripheral vision" means the ability of companies to detect, interpret and act on distant signals, whether a rumor heard about a new rival, a newspaper article about a new medical device, or the popularity of a blog started by a dissatisfied customer. Day and co-author Paul Schoemaker have written a book entitled, appropriately enough, Peripheral Vision: Detecting the Weak Signals That Will Make or Break Your Company, designed to help firms avoid being blindsided by unexpected events. According to the authors, only 20% of companies have succeeded in developing peripheral vision well enough to stay ahead of their competitors. Day talked with Knowledge@Wharton's Mukul Pandya and Robbie Shell about his book.

Podcast: John Paul MacDuffie on Car Trouble: From Higher Gas Prices to Hybrids, and More..    

Almost anyone who has been following the auto industry, especially in the U.S., will agree that lately it has had a bumpy ride. For one thing, the difficulties of GM and Ford have filled the headlines for several months now, and there has been lots of speculation about how severe these problems are. In addition, the auto parts maker Delphi, which was spun off from GM in 1999, is now in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings and actively negotiating with both the United Auto Workers union and GM. Yet another challenge is growing global competition: Virtually all the Japanese brands are showing an increase in market share in the U.S. And finally, questions continue to persist about advances in technology, especially as they concern the new hybrid models. John Paul MacDuffie, a professor of management at Wharton and co-director of the International Motor Vehicle Program, spoke about these issues with Knowledge@Wharton's Mukul Pandya and Robbie Shell.

Auto Industry Consolidation: Is There a New Model on the Horizon?  

The turmoil and uncertainty among auto manufacturers and their suppliers have left people wondering when a shakeout can be expected. Two experts who follow the auto sector say consolidation will take place among suppliers to a much greater extent than among carmakers, which may not experience mergers and acquisitions at all in the near term but will be engaged in ever-shifting strategic alliances and joint ventures.

In particular, some private-equity firms are hungrily eyeing auto supply companies for investment opportunities, according to Wharton management professor John Paul MacDuffie and Christopher Benko, director of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Automotive Institute in Detroit.

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