Toyota planning to increase stake in Subaru

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Toyota�s grip around Subaru is set to get tighter with news coming out of Japan claiming the auto giant is planning to increase its 8.7% stake in Subaru to around 17%. The final decision will depend on whether or not the move gets approval from Japan�s Fair Trade Commission.

The transaction involves Toyota buying another 64.25 million shares in Subaru, which will cost about �30 billion ($294.4 million), reports the Nikkei. The source also claims both carmakers are working to collaborate across several areas including the development of a new RWD sports car.

Back in November Toyota�s German Chief Markus Schrick confirmed Toyota was working on several new sports cars including a replacement for the Celica, and several Japanese sources claimed the car will be the result of collaboration between Toyota and Subaru. The two carmakers have been sharing production facilities and swapping engineers ever since Toyota bought a stake in Subaru early last year, and now the partnership is set to spawn the first co-developed model.

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Update: Toyota nearly doubles stake in Subaru parent FHI

Update: Effectively completing a deal announced in April, Subaru parent company Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) today agreed to sell 61 million treasury stocks for a price of 31.11 billion yen ($291.1 million). The new shares increase Toyota�s holding in FHI from 9.5% to 16.16%, improving the capital on hand at FHI and Subaru while deepening the ties born in 2005 when Toyota acquired GM�s stake in FHI, reports Thomson Financial News.

The shares won�t change hands until July 14, however. It has taken several years for Toyota and Subaru to develop effective cooperation, but now that the ball is rolling, it appears many projects are underway, with Subaru and Toyota working together on a RWD sports car, Subaru planning a hybrid in the near future and Toyota selling small cars to FHI under an OEM agreement sometime before 2010.

Original: Toyota confirmed today it is increasing its stake in Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru�s parent company) from current 8.7% levels to 16.5%. The auto-giant also announced plans to expand ties with Subaru and co-develop more models including a new RWD sports car. Currently, Toyota uses idle capacity at Subaru�s U.S. plant to build its Camry sedan but the future will see the two carmakers work on everything together, from swapping engineers to sharing hybrid technology.

Speaking at the announcement today, Toyota boss Katsuaki Watanabe said the � alliance with Fuji heavy is a win-win situation.�

The new RWD model will be manufactured at a new plant to be set up by Fuji Heavy Industries and both Subaru and Toyota will market their own versions with unique badging. It will be based on a Subaru platform but Toyota will design its exterior, reports Automotive News.

According to previous reports, the car will likely feature a 2.0L boxer engine and come in both coupe and three-door hatch bodystyles. There could also be a high-performance version with a symmetrical AWD system and 300hp turbocharged engine.

Toyota also announced today that it will work closer with small-car specialist Daihatsu, which it owns a 51.19% stake in. Daihatsu already manufactures a range of compact �Kei� cars � tiny Japanese runabouts with 0.6L three-cylinder engines � and it�s expertise will help Toyota with development of its upcoming iQ minicar due next year.

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