TOKYO — Six of Japan's seven major automakers are poised to set records for both capital expenditures and research and development spending this fiscal year as they prepare for an expected surge in demand for hybrids and electric vehicles.
The company forecast that total capital spending rose 20% to 4.29 trillion yen ($30 billion), beating last fiscal year's all-time high, while R&D spending rose 13% to 3.86 trillion yen. . Among individual automakers, only Mitsubishi Motors is below all-time highs in both categories.