Daily News Briefs: June 29, 2012

BMW and Toyota could develop a sports car together, Automotive News reports. The automakers plan to develop fuel-cell, EV and weight-reduction technology, plus “joint development of architecture and components for a future sports vehicle,” they said in a joint statement. Calling the collaboration a partnership between Toyota’s strength in “environment-friendly hybrids and fuel cells” and BMW’s traditional forte of “developing sports cars,” Toyota President Akio Toyoda hailed the move, which deepens a collaboration deal on lithium-ion batteries and diesel engines announced last March. Toyota’s Lexus division has a 552-horsepower V-10 LFA, while BMW has leased the all-electric Mini E and 1 Series-based ActiveE to select residents in California and the East Coast.

In other news:

• When the redesigned 2013 Nissan Sentra arrives, Nissan says it will move some production of its compact car to Canton, Miss. A portion of Sentras will still come from Nissan’s Aguascalientes, Mexico plant, where the automaker builds the current-gen Sentra.
• Ford will likely see its international losses triple on European uncertainty, The Detroit News reports, but it should remain profitable overall for a 12th consecutive quarter, which wraps up this week.
• Chrysler will hire more employees at its Toledo, Ohio, plant to build more Jeep Wranglers, Automotive News reports.
• Officials and analysts expect June sales to rise around 20%, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate in the high 13 million range, The Detroit News reports. The industry will report sales on Tuesday.

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