plus 3, Honda profit soars more than sixfold on year on cost cuts that offset ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Honda profit soars more than sixfold on year on cost cuts that offset ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Automakers See Sales Uptick in January - Orange County Business Journal
Toyota aside, sales of autos were up in Jan. - Boston Globe
Nikon releases S3000 ultra-compact camera - Digital Photography Review

Honda profit soars more than sixfold on year on cost cuts that offset ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 11:17 PM PST

Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it.

TOKYO - Honda's quarterly profit soared sixfold on cost cuts and strong sales of green vehicles, boosting the Japanese automaker's full year forecast as the global car market gradually recovers.

Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday it booked net profit of 134.6 billion yen ($1.49 billion) for the October-December quarter. It was the first time fiscal third quarter profit had increased in two years, underlining a recovery in world auto sales.

The results were better than the 74 billion yen ($818 million) profit forecast by analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.

The Japanese automaker, known for the Insight hybrid, Accord sedan and Odyssey minivan, reported an 11.5 percent drop in sales for the quarter at 2.24 trillion yen ($24.8 billion), partly because of the strong yen.

Honda has weathered the auto slump better than some of its bigger rivals because of its strength in emerging markets and its solid motorcycle division.

Honda managed to stay in the black for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2008, when other Japanese automakers, such as Toyota Motor Corp., sank into losses. Honda eked out a 20.2 billion yen profit for that period.

The company raised its profit forecast for the fiscal year through March 2010 for the third time to 265 billion yen ($2.9 billion), almost double the 137 billion yen profit it had posted the previous year, and its first annual profit rise in two years.

In October, Japan's No. 2 automaker had raised its profit forecast to 155 billion yen ($1.7 billion), nearly four times its initial outlook, citing sales boosts from government-backed green incentive programs and strong China sales.

On Wednesday, it stuck to its full-year global sales projection for 3.4 million vehicles, down 3.3 percent from 3.5 million for the fiscal year ended March 2009.

But it now expects slightly better sales at 8.53 trillion yen ($94.3 billion), compared to its earlier forecast of 8.45 trillion yen.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Automakers See Sales Uptick in January - Orange County Business Journal

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 09:30 PM PST

Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it.

Fountain Valley-based Hyundai Motor America Inc. again led an uptick in automotive sales for some of the county's automakers in January.

Hyundai, part of South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co., saw a 24% gain in vehicle sales in January from a year earlier.

Hyundai, the largest automaker with operations here, sold 30,503 vehicles last month.

January marks the 13th consecutive month of year-over-year market share gains, according to Hyundai.

The automaker's sales for 2009 were up 8%, making Hyundai one of the few automakers to see sales up in what was the worst year in recent memory for the industry.

The automaker saw two vehicle launches in January including the Sonata sedan and Tucson sports utility vehicle.

Hyundai also extended and enhanced its Hyundai Assurance program that allows auto buyers to return vehicles if they lose their jobs or income.

Irvine-based Mazda North American Operations saw January sales rise 1.8% with 15,694 vehicles sold.

Mazda, part of Japan's Mazda Motor Corp., saw January as the third straight month of increased sales after the prolonged downturn for the automaker.

Kia Motors America Inc. of Irvine, sister company to Hyundai, saw sales flat in January.

The automaker, also part of Seoul-based Hyundai, sold 22,123 vehicles through last month.

Kia's newest model Sorento CUV led the sales numbers.

January's figures suggest the auto industry might be on the mend after a prolonged downturn, even though weak consumer confidence and rising unemployment could make any recovery slow.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Toyota aside, sales of autos were up in Jan. - Boston Globe

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 09:30 PM PST

Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it.

Last month, US sales of cars and light trucks to consumers rose 6 percent from a year earlier, thanks to increases in fleet sales and strong demand for newly redesigned vehicles, such as the Hyundai Tucson SUV and Buick LaCrosse sedan. Big winners included General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co., and Hyundai Motor Co., which all posted double-digit sales increases.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Nikon releases S3000 ultra-compact camera - Digital Photography Review

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 07:57 PM PST

Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it.

Nikon has released the Coolpix S3000 ultra-compact camera. Successor to the S220, the 12MP S3000 comes with a wide-angle 4x optical zoom lens starting at 27mm, a 2.7 inch LCD and includes features such as AF tracking and a Smile Timer mode that captures images only when the subject smiles. It will be available from March 2010 in black, 'champagne' silver, red, blue, orange, magenta and green.

Jump to:

Press Release
Specifications
Additional images

Press Release:

CAPTURE ALL THE ACTION WITH THE ULTIMATE ALL-ROUNDER

12 megapixels, wide angle 4x zoom NIKKOR lens and easy to use shooting features all packed into a slim 19mm thick compact camera

February 3, 2010: Nikon UK today introduces a slim and ultra stylish compact camera, the S3000, as part of its new range of COOLPIX cameras launching this spring. The successor to the best selling S220, it's packed with features making it fun and easy to take pictures anytime, anywhere.

The super slim body, with a thickness of just 19mm, packs in 12 megapixels, a wideangle 4x zoom NIKKOR lens – perfect for when you want get all of your friends into one shot or to take a closer look – and a 2.7 inch monitor so it's easy to view all your great pictures. It also provides an array of advanced shooting features, such as four anti-blur functions including electronic vibration reduction (eVR) to ensure clear pictures. And whether you're on the beach, the slopes or out on the town, the scene auto selector with 16 modes will automatically select the most appropriate one to make it quicker and easier to take beautiful pictures. You don't even need to worry about your subject smiling, the Smile Timer automatically recognises this and takes the picture at the appropriate moment.

Mark Pekelharing, Product Line Manager Consumer Products at Nikon Europe B.V comments: "The S3000 is ideal for those looking for a camera that's fun to use, chic and great value for money. And as you'd expect from a Nikon it delivers fantastic pictures. It inherits it looks from the popular predecessor S220 and is bound to be even more popular with our customers, with even more features and a more powerful zoom lens, all packed into an even smaller body. The COOLPIX S3000 is the perfect all-rounder."

A slim and stylish package
Even with a wideangle 4x zoom NIKKOR lens, the S3000 only measures 19mm thick, making it the ideal size for fitting in your pocket or bag, ready to whip out for that perfect moment. And when you do, you'll be showing off a stylish aluminium body available in seven colours: Black, Champagne Silver, Red, Blue, Orange, Magenta and Green.

Get to the action
This S3000 is all about having fun while taking great pictures, not spending time setting up manual controls or changing the settings only to find that great shot has been missed. The buttons are larger making it quick and easy to get the function you want and the zoom is in easy thumb reach at the top of the camera so you can concentrate on capturing the action. The image-processing system is optimised based on Nikon's original image-processing concept, EXPEED. You can also charge the camera from your PC or laptop with the USB charger adapter when a plug socket isn't available.

This camera will make sure nothing stands in your way for taking a great shot. The 2.7 inch LCD screen with an anti-reflective coating makes it easy to shoot and share your pictures, even in bright sunlight. And in whatever situation you find yourself in, the Scene Auto Selector will make sure your surroundings are captured perfectly, without having to change any settings.

Perfect pictures anytime, anywhere
The S3000 has a range of advanced auto functions to make sure your pictures look just how you want them to. As part of Nikon's Smart Portrait System, a series of advanced functions help produce consistently great portraits. The face-priority AF system automatically recognises up to 12 people in your shot, adjusting the focus and exposure, while the skin softening function automatically detects and smoothes your subjects skin tone for the best results. And if you're subject is on the move, subject tracking can lock on to it and continue to track and focus on it until the moment you decide to take your picture.

Smile Timer automatically releases the shutter when the main subject smiles while the Blink Proof function automatically shoots two sequential frames and automatically saves the one in which the subject's eyes are open. There's even a warning if someone has their eyes shut when you've taken the picture, to allow you to re-take the picture, so you don't have to discover this when you're reviewing your pictures later on. Finally, the anti-red eye function automatically corrects the red-eye effect before saving the image.

RRP: £109.99 / €135.00
Sales start date: Mid March 2010

Nikon COOLPIX S3000 specifications

Sensor	• 1/2.3" Type CCD • 12 million effective pixels
Image sizes	• 4000 x 3000 • 3264 x 2448 • 2592 x 1944 • 2048 x 1536 • 1024×768 • 640 x 480 • 3968 x 2232 (16:9)
Movie	• 640 x 480 pixels • 320 x 240 pixels
Lens	• 4x Zoom-Nikkor (27-108mm equiv.) • f/3.2-5.9 • f= 4.9-19.6mm
Image stabilization	No
Digital zoom	Up to 4x
Focus distance	• 50cm (1 ft.8in.) to infinity (∞) • Macro close-up mode: 8cm (3.2 in.) to infinity (∞)
ISO sensitivity	• ISO 80 • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 • ISO 1600 • ISO 3200 • Auto (auto gain ISO 80-1600) • Fixed range auto (ISO 80-400, 80-800)
Aperture	f/3.2 - f/5.9
Flash	• Built-in
LCD monitor	• 2.7-in TFT LCD • 230,000-dot
Connectivity	• USB • AV out
Storage	• SD / SDHC card • Approx 47MB internal memory
Power	• Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL10 • Charging AC Adapter EH-68P/EH-68P
Battery Life	Approx. 220 shots with EN-EL10 battery
Weight (with batt)	Approx. 116 g (4.1 oz.)
Dimensions	Approx. 94 x 56 x 19 mm (3.8 x 2.2 x 0.8 in.)
Supplied accessories	• Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL10 • Charging AC Adapter EH-68P/EH-68P • USB Cable UC-E6 • Audio Video Cable EG-CP14 • Software Suite CD-ROM
Optional accessories	• AC Adapter EH-62D • Battery Charger MH-63