Toyota Motor Corp announced outstanding earnings for Q2 2012.  Its Q2 operating profit was the largest quarterly operating profit in four years for the Japanese auto company.  In addition, the company increased its sales target for the remainder of 2012.  Here are the top active institutional shareholders of Toyota, all of which should be positively affected should Toyota outperform for the rest of the year.  Check out other reports by Thomson Reuters Ownership Intelligence and follow @ownershipintel on Twitter.

 

General Motors Corp posted better earnings than expected for Q2 2012.

Two main factors driving its success were unusually good results in Europe and delayed spending in the United States.  Some analysts are concerned that GM’s excellent quarter may be an anomaly.  In particular, the delayed spending must be made up in the future, which could affect the bottom line.  Also, as volatility in Europe continues, there is no guarantee GM’s European business will post another successful quarter.  If the outlook on GM declines, GM’s top 10 shareholders could be affected.

See the full report.  Check out other reports by Thomson Reuters Ownership Intelligence and follow @ownershipintel on Twitter.

 

 

Today’s graphic compares the market shares of groups and brands for new car registrations in Western Europe. The larger the bubble, the greater the marketshare of new cars. Volkswagen led the way in 2011, controlling 23.2% of the new car market. How do you think the 2012 bubbles will compare to these? Do you think Volkswagen will still be the leader or will a new brand emerge stronger?

 

By Ben Berkowitz

Diplomats, consultants and analysts have plenty of questions about Chinese car maker BYD and its growth tactics, but there’s one thing no one can question: BYD shares have made a lot of people a lot of money in recent years.

Since Warren Buffett invested in the company at the depths of the financial crisis in September 2008, BYD shares are up nearly 300 percent. (And that’s after a sharp decline over the last 16 months, as the company delayed its American debut and experienced sliding sales domestically). Compare that with Ford, up about 170 percent over the same period – and Toyota, which has lost more than a fifth of its value. At one point, BYD shares were so strong that its chairman, Wang Chuanfu, was China’s richest man.

See our special report “Warren Buffett’s China Car Deal Could Backfire”.