Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will repurchase its First Series Model AA Class Shares (AA Shares) and cancel all AA Shares on the condition that said shares are repurchased by April 2021. There are 45,092,330 AA shares involved in the proposed cancellation at priced at of ¥477,888,513,340 yen, ~ $4,593,942,279.
If the transaction proceeds, shareholders who by exercising their voting rights to a “high degree” have actively participated in the management of TMC will no longer be of concern to TMC management. “The perception that growth in the automotive industry has contributed to the threat of climate change and the overuse of global resources has led investors to demand that the industry address sustainability in their strategy and business practices,” says CAR. Environmental, social and corporate governance issues – so-called ESGs – are at the heart of a growing movement to measure the sustainability and societal impact of an investment in a company or business. The theory – yet to be convincingly proven in AutoInformed’s view – is that this will help predict the future financial performance of companies. (Daimler Issues Its First Green Bond of €1 Billion) Continue reading
Ford Future Trends – Younger Gen Less Resilient than Older
The ninth annual Looking Further with Ford Trends Report* underscores the global pandemic but also discloses “how resilient people can be in finding ways to cope and adapt.” In a global survey of 14 countries conducted before vaccines were approved, 69% of respondents say they are overwhelmed by the changes they see taking place in the world. When asked how well they have adapted to the changes during the pandemic, 53% say adapting has been “harder than I imagined,” while 47% say it has been “easier than I imagined.”
Younger generations have taken it harder than their older peers: 63% of Gen Zers say adapting has been harder than they imagined, vs. 42% of Boomers who say the same. How these attitudes will influence the world in 2021 and beyond is unknown. Continue reading →