Japan auto lobby chief - hopes for report on Takata problems by year-end
TOKYO (Reuters) - The head of Japan's auto lobby said on Thursday he hopes for an interim report on the cause of Takata Corp's <7312.T> air bag problems by the end of the year from any one of the teams investigating the issue.
More than 50 million cars have been recalled worldwide since 2008 over Takata's potentially deadly air bag inflators that can explode with too much force and spray metal shards inside the car. The figure includes the Japanese supplier's move this week to double its U.S. recall to nearly 34 million vehicles, for investigative purposes and without a known cause.
For the recalls that have been identified as a manufacturing problem at Takata's factories, domestic automakers are likely expecting discussions for payment by the supplier in instalments, Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) Chairman Fumihiko Ike said.
Ten automakers led by Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> have set up a committee to investigate the root cause of other problematic inflators made by Takata, in addition to internal and third-party teams set up by the supplier and some automakers on their own.
(Reporting by Maki Shiraki; Writing by Mari Saito; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)
