Toyota, Japan’s biggest car maker by volume, plans to sell more than 1 million subcompacts in more than 100 countries and regions, such as China, Southeast Asia, India and Brazil, by 2015.

Toyota does not have many other places to go for expansion. The European markets are nearly dead. China’s market has slowed considerably. Toyota’s sales have picked up a great deal in America, but the market has become progressively more competitive as U.S. car companies has been revived and large firms, including Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes, have aggressively exploited the one region in which they have an ongoing chance for rising sales volume.

A New Web Browser

For some reason, Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) wants to be in the crowded web browser arena. Its new product is called Axis. It is meant to compete with Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch products. But Apple already has its own Safari browser. And the industry is controlled by Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Internet Explorer, Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) Chrome, and Firefox. It is a good guess that Yahoo! wants to use Axis to move further into mobile search, but it already has lost most of that market to Google. And there is no reason for the great majority of users to switch from their preferred browser when they move from computer to portable device.

Galaxy S3’s U.S. Launch

The wildly successful Samsung Galaxy S III will be available in the United States starting on June 1. But the first wave of handsets will not be sold by carriers. Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) will sell the new Galaxy without a wireless contract. Wireless companies underwrite the costs of smartphones because they get two-year subscriptions from customers. Amazon will sell the Galaxy S III for $800. The product will be “unlocked” so it can be used on a number of networks. There is some debate over whether its powerful processor is set to work on superfast 4G LTE networks, or if a less-powerful processor will be required to operate on those systems. The Samsung Galaxy is widely regarded as the primary competitor to the Apple iPhone 4S, so early sales in the U.S. will prove whether that perception is true.

MSNBC.com Buyout Talks

Comcast’s (NASDAQ: CMCSA) NBCUniversal operations is in talks with Microsoft to takeover the part of MSNBC.com that it does not already own. The rumor was reported in Adweek. Microsoft may not want to part with the stake. NBC could use it as a portal to increase traffic to its media sites. But Microsoft has its large MSN.com operation, which has a close relationship with MSNBC.com. As Microsoft works to drive traffic to its Bing search engine, MSNBC.com is strategically important.

Douglas A. McIntyre

New car sales in May are expected to reach their highest level since 2007, according to auto research firm Truecar. The annualized pace will reach 14.5 million. This trend has helped many car companies, particularly those based in the United States, post strong profits.

As car sales rise, the complexion of brand preference has changed. Toyota (NYSE: TM) is the biggest beneficiary of new buying habits. Its market share is expected to reach 14.8% next month, up from 10.2% in the same month a year ago. Much of the reason for that is the recovery of its production facilities after the Japanese earthquake in 2011. But strong demand for its popular brands like the Prius is just as important. Production improvements could not increase sales by themselves.

The car company that has made the most extraordinary comeback from the recession is Chrysler. It is expected to have a U.S. market share of 10.9% next month. That will put it ahead of Japanese giant Honda (NYSE: HMC), which has had sales driven by high-quality ratings in the past. Chrysler has made an improbable comeback from Chapter 11. Many analysts believed it would lack the financial ability to produce enough new models to be competitive. Its management countered that by releasing relatively few cars that sold extremely well.

Against these improvements are Hyundai and Kia’s numbers. Their market shares are expected to fall to 9.3% next month from 10.1% last year. Hyundai got many of its sales from its pricing, and some from its aggressive warranty offers.

American taste in cars has returned to traditional brands. It is impossible to tell why for certain. But the trend has started to hurt Hyundai badly.

Douglas A. McIntyre

EU concerns push the euro to close to a two-year low. (Reuters)

Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) will invest $40 billion into alternative energy in the next decade. (Reuters)

TV networks battle with Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH) over a DVR that can skip ads. (Reuters)

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) CEO Tim Cook gives up $75 million in dividends on his stock holdings. (Reuters)

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B) may buy more newspapers. (Reuters)

Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) loan shares to short sellers who want to hedge Facebook’s stock. (WSJ)

U.S. bank lending falls in the first quarter, a possible sign of economic slowing. (WSJ)

Toyota (NYSE: TM) will push further into emerging markets. (WSJ)

Comcast’s (NASDAQ: CMCSA) NBCUniversal division may buyout Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) part ownership in MSNBC.com. (WSJ)

Japanese power companies invest in U.S. shale gas to help replace nuclear power. (WSJ)

Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) releases an Internet browser call Axis, which will compete with Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) product. (WSJ)

Spain is concerned about a run on its banks. (NYT)

Large European institutional funds begin to sell euro assets. (FT)

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti says most leaders in the region back regionwide bonds. (Bloomberg)

Douglas A. McIntyre

Toyota, Japan’s biggest car maker by volume, plans to sell more than 1 million subcompacts in more than 100 countries and regions, such as China, Southeast Asia, India and Brazil by 2015.

Toyota does not have many other places to go for expansion. The European markets are nearly dead. China’s market has slowed considerably. Toyota’s sales have picked up a great deal in America, but the market has become progressively more competitive as US car companies has been revived, and large firms, which include VW, BMW,and Mercedes, have aggressively exploited the one region in which they have an ongoing chance for rising sales volume.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Facebook IPO Mess

The Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) IPO mess has worsened considerably in just 24 hours. The federal government will examine why analysts at Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) lowered their financial forecasts for the social network just ahead of the IPO. The concern is that favored clients knew about the changes, but the broader investment world did not. Nasdaq claims that if it had known how badly its technical glitches would be, it would have suspended the IPO until there was full confidence shares could trade smoothly. There are also rumors that Facebook’s CFO David Ebersman decided at the last minute to increase the number of shares that would be offered by 25% without enough conversation with his entire team of bankers. Ebersman discussed his plans with lead underwriter Morgan Stanley. But the decision caught many large investors by surprise and caused them to wonder whether the market had enough of an appetite for all of the new shares. Based on how Facebook has traded since the IPO, the answer is no.

Fiat and Mazda

Fiat and Mazda will build a small convertible together. Fiat is the controlling shareholder of Chrysler. The deal is an example of how large car companies that face slow sales in Europe and slowing sales in China have started to band together to save costs. General Motors (NYSE: GM) and Peugeot plan to jointly operate production facilities in Europe. GM’s Opel division is bleeding money in the region. Peugeot is one of the most financially troubled European car companies. GM also has made in investment in Peugeot. And trouble is probably what binds Fiat and Mazda together. Fiat’s sales in Europe have collapsed. Mazda sales run well behind Japanese rivals Toyota (NYSE: TM), Honda (NYSE: HMC) and Nissan. Nissan already has a close alliance with Renault. Fiat and Mazda do not have the capacity to easily develop many new models on their own.

Getty Images for Sale

Private equity firm Hellman & Friedman, which owns Getty Images, has begun the process to sell the company it bought for $2.4 billion in 2008. It reckons using investment banks Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM), it can get $4 billion. Getty has one of the world’s great inventories of photos, some of them artistic icons taken by photographers years ago. The company gets a ready stream of licensing revenue for use of its inventory. The Financial Times points out that there have already been a number of deals in the sector. That by itself may hurt interest and bring down the price that outside investors would pay.

Douglas A. McIntyre

GM (NYSE: GM) and Peugeot plan to jointly operate production facilities in Europe. GM’s Opel division is bleeding money in the region. Peugeot is one of the most troubled European car companies financially. GM has also made in investment in Peugeot. And, trouble is probably what binds Fiat and Mazda together. Fiat’s sales in Europe have collapsed. Mazda’s sales run well behind Japanese rivals Toyota (NYSE: TM), Honda (NYSE: HMC), and Nissan. Nissan already has a close alliance with Renault.

Fiat and Mazda don’t have the capacity to easily develop large numbers of new models on their own.

Douglas A. McIntyre

One example of a CEO who were taken to task recently for the actions of his company was Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), who seemed to forget everything about the operations of his investment bank for the few short hours he answered questions. Another was Akio Toyoda, whose company, Toyota Motors (NYSE: TM), built some cars with dangerous accelerator problems. Toyoda spent most the time during his testimony apologizing for the mistakes the manufacturer, founded by his grandfather, made and explaining how a new quality control program would prevent them. Toyoda must salvage the good name of his ancestors, he said.

A parade of CEOs and senior executives was called to testify about the financial meltdown that triggered the last recession. These included bankers and officers of ratings agencies, in particular, S&P and Moody’s. No criminal charges were brought against any of these executives. Many have gone on to collect the large pay packages that Congress attacked with vigor. All in all, the testimonies were an inconvenience, or perhaps a brief period of anxiety that ended quickly.

Senators will ask Dimon how JP Morgan lost $2 billion or more on risky trades. He will repeat his standard response that his traders were stupid and that the mistakes were “self-inflected.” He will describe how those who ran trading operations were fired. He will explain all of the things JP Morgan will do to better manage risk. Perhaps most importantly of all, Dimon will talk about the incident as an aberration, and not a lesson in how a few poor decisions should prompt Congress and the Administration to set more strict bank laws.

For Dimon, if history is any guide, his time before the Senate committee will be little more than a few uncomfortable hours.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Read: America’s Hottest Brands

Generally, most brand analysis done by the business press is biased toward dollar valuations and contributions to corporate earnings. Obviously, financial success is one factor that demonstrates how well a brand is regarded by consumers. But brand valuation is a financial view, and not one that relies entirely on consumer perception. Based on analysis performed by brand expert company CoreBrand, 24/7 Wall St. wanted to see brands through the eyes of the consumer. For this reason, Corebrand examined brands from the standpoint of favorability and familiarity.

One of the most notable results of the analysis is the high ranking of brands not normally present on most highly valued brands list. When they are evaluated through the consumers’ eyes, however, brands that belong to companies that are struggling financially can still be high on a consumer-perception weighted list. These brands, naturally, are used by a large number of people. More than that, the consumer interaction with the product and services associated with the brand is positive.

Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) and Avon (NYSE: AVP) would not appear high on most brand valuations lists. The two have struggled too much as companies and in the stock market to be high on any business-weighted brand list. They are, however, at the top of the list of brands with high favorability and familiarity. The Avon lady and Dell laptops still carry weight with consumers.

Financial success does not exclude consumer success; they usually go together. Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Ford (NYSE: F) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) do extremely well according to CoreBrand’s ranking. Each of these corporations has posted large profits over the past few years. Their shareholders have also done well. The products and services from the companies have boosted sales fairly consistently.

24/7 Wall St. examined the “hottest” brands list from independent brand valuation firm CoreBrand. CoreBrand looked at the largest brands where both favorability and familiarity increased, measured by overall reputation, perception of management and investment potential. 24/7 Wall St. then ranked the six brands with the greatest increases in favorability from the fourth quarter of 2010 to the fourth quarter of 2011.

These are America’s hottest brands.

Tesla, which missed both top- and bottom-line estimates last night soothed shareholders with word that the company’s new sedan, the Model S, will ship in June, a month ahead of schedule. The company claims that more than 10,000 customers have ordered the new $70,000 sedan. Tesla has sold about 2,250 of the 2,500 Roadsters it has built since 2008. By way of comparison, GM sold nearly 2,300 Chevy Volts in the month of March alone.

Despite the tiny sales numbers and a larger-than-expected EPS loss of -$0.76 last quarter, Tesla shares are rising on the news about the Model S and a small bump to revenue guidance for the rest of the year. Revenue totaled $30.2 million, below the consensus estimate of $32 million and down from $49 million in the same period last year.

For 2012 the company guided revenue to $560-$600 million, moving the low end up $10 million from a previous estimate. That’s a big quarterly hike based on first quarter numbers.

Investors appear to have great faith in Tesla’s ability to fill a high-end niche for EVs because the shares are up 11.6% today, at $33.55 in a 52-week range of $21.50-$39.95.

Paul Ausick

BMW and Mercedes are also near record sales globally. In the US, GM’s (NYSE: GM) Cadillac has sold briskly. Clawing for part of a market they once held Toyota’s (NYSE: TM)’s Lexus brand, Nissan’s Infiniti, and Honda’s (NYSE: HMC) Acura have begun to invest in new models which mimic features of more successful rivals.

All it takes to get into the game is $75,000 and a driver’s license.