Yamaha aims to launch two-seater car in Europe as early as 2019 -source
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese motorcycle maker Yamaha Motor Co Ltd <7272.T> aims to start making and selling two-seater cars in Europe as early as 2019, targeting environmentally-conscious drivers, a person familiar with the plan told Reuters on Friday.
Yamaha will spend "tens of billions of yen" to build a manufacturing plant in Europe, though the location and scale of the investment amount remain undecided. The cars will come in both 1-litre petrol and electric versions, the person said.
The person wasn't authorised to discuss the plan publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The news was first reported by the Nikkei business daily.
Yamaha unveiled its Motiv concept microcar at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show and said it wanted to bring the car to the mass market by 2020, but has not announced any launches since then.
The person familiar with the company's plans said on Friday Yamaha would begin with the two-seater cars in Europe, and is also considering sales in Japan and other Asian countries, particularly emerging markets.
The vehicle will be the first car made by Yamaha since the late 1960s, when it manufactured the 2000GT for Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T>.
A spokesman for Shizuoka-based Yamaha declined to comment.
(Reporting by Maki Shiraki; Writing by Chris Gallagher; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
