Toyota to Boost EV Development and Technology in China

FILE PHOTO-A Toyota EV car is seen at the Bangkok International Motor Show in Bangkok, Thailand, March 30, 2022. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo
FILE PHOTO-A Toyota EV car is seen at the Bangkok International Motor Show in Bangkok, Thailand, March 30, 2022. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo
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Toyota to Boost EV Development and Technology in China

FILE PHOTO-A Toyota EV car is seen at the Bangkok International Motor Show in Bangkok, Thailand, March 30, 2022. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo
FILE PHOTO-A Toyota EV car is seen at the Bangkok International Motor Show in Bangkok, Thailand, March 30, 2022. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo

Toyota will strengthen its development of electric vehicle technology in China, the automaker said on Monday, as it looks to catch up with increasingly tough domestic competition in the world's largest auto market.
The move is the latest from the world's top selling carmaker that shows a sharper pivot to electric vehicles. It recently detailed an ambitious new EV strategy that includes an overhaul of its supply chain and the development of long-range batteries, Reuters said.
China, once seen as an opportunity for potentially limitless growth for foreign automakers, is now regarded as an increasingly competitive market thanks to the rise of fast-moving local companies.
Toyota said on Monday it would accelerate powertrain development with suppliers Denso and Aisin as well as local design and development of "smart cockpits" that meet the needs of the Chinese market.
It said it would aim to significantly reduce manufacturing costs, including through developing a local supplier base, to become more competitive.
It will strengthen development of battery-powered vehicles, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and fuel cell cars in China in order to achieve carbon neutrality through a "multi-pathway"-based approach, it said.



Google Scraps Plan to Remove Cookies from Chrome

FILED - 09 January 2024, US, Las Vegas: The Google logo can be seen on the Internet company's pavilion at the CES technology trade fair. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa
FILED - 09 January 2024, US, Las Vegas: The Google logo can be seen on the Internet company's pavilion at the CES technology trade fair. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa
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Google Scraps Plan to Remove Cookies from Chrome

FILED - 09 January 2024, US, Las Vegas: The Google logo can be seen on the Internet company's pavilion at the CES technology trade fair. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa
FILED - 09 January 2024, US, Las Vegas: The Google logo can be seen on the Internet company's pavilion at the CES technology trade fair. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa

Google is planning to keep third-party cookies in its Chrome browser, it said on Monday, after years of pledging to phase out the tiny packets of code meant to track users on the internet.
The major reversal follows concerns from advertisers - the company's biggest source of income - saying the loss of cookies in the world's most popular browser will limit their ability to collect information for personalizing ads, making them dependent on Google's user databases, Reuters reported.
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority had also scrutinized Google's plan over concerns it would impede competition in digital advertising.
"Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they'd be able to adjust that choice at any time," Anthony Chavez, vice president of the Google-backed Privacy Sandbox initiative, said in a blog post.
Since 2019, the Alphabet unit has been working on the Privacy Sandbox initiative aimed at enhancing online privacy while supporting digital businesses, with a key goal being the phase-out of third-party cookies.
Cookies are packets of information that allow websites and advertisers to identify individual web surfers and track their browsing habits, but they can also be used for unwanted surveillance.
In the European Union, the use of cookies is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which stipulates that publishers secure explicit consent from users to store their cookies. Major browsers also give the option to delete cookies on command.
Chavez said Google was working with regulators such as the UK's CMA and Information Commissioner's Office as well as publishers and privacy groups on the new approach, while continuing to invest in the Privacy Sandbox program.
The announcement drew mixed reactions.
"Advertising stakeholders will no longer have to prepare to quit third-party cookies cold turkey," eMarketer analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf said in a statement.
Lena Cohen, staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said cookies can lead to consumer harm, for instance predatory ads that target vulnerable groups. "Google's decision to continue allowing third-party cookies, despite other major browsers blocking them for years, is a direct consequence of their advertising-driven business model," Cohen said in a statement.