A weak yen has helped Toyota offset potential trouble from declining sales across the globe.

The company posted a $10.3 billion net profit in its fiscal first half, ending in September, representing an increase of 12 percent from the same period last year. Operating income grew faster than net revenues, which jumped by 8.9 percent to $115.5 billion yen.

Global sales fell by 4.6 percent to 4,278,007 during the same period. Deliveries were up in North America, however the strong markets did not offset declines in Europe, Asia and other regions.

“Despite decreased vehicle sales and increased expenses to promote the Toyota New Global Architecture and research into cutting-edge technologies, progress in cost reduction and other profit improvement activities, in addition to favorable foreign exchange rates, contributed to the increase in operating income,” said Toyota managing officer Tetsuya Otake.

Expecting to achieve record profits for the year, Toyota has increased its stock-repurchase targets. The company now plans to buy back an additional 150 billion yen (~$1.2 billion USD) worth of shares before the end of its fiscal year.

The Volkswagen emissions scandal could prove beneficial for Toyota, as the Japanese company inched ahead of its German rival last month to keep its crown as world’s largest automaker.

Following on the heels of accusations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) of undisclosed defeat devices in American-bound V6 TDI models earlier this week, Volkswagen has acknowledged that the same ECU functionality exists in vehicles sold with those engines in Europe.

U.S. regulators alleged that certain Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen cars and SUVs from model years 2014 through 2016 employ a defeat device not disclosed during the EPA emissions certification process. The 2014 and 2015 models in question represent a total volume of roughly 10,000 vehicles. The sedans in question include the Audi A7, A6 quattro, A8 and A8L. SUVs include the Volkswagen Touareg, Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q5.

Volkswagen representatives told Reuters Thursday that the same software is present in European models, but that the company did not believe the programming affected emissions production “in a forbidden way,” which explains why VW was so quick to deny the initial allegations on Monday.

Despite challenging the government’s stance, the company ordered its dealer network to stop selling the V6 TDI-powered Audi A7, A6 Quattro, A8, A8L and Q5, along with the VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne on Wednesday, releasing a statement that said, “Volkswagen Group of America is working with regulators and will take all steps necessary to remedy any issues, including a potential emissions recall.”

Those representatives would not specify the number of vehicles in Europe that this may apply to, nor would they rule out the possibility that the initial scope of the EPA and CARB investigation in the U.S. (10,000) was broad enough to encompass all models sold with this device, meaning it is possible that additional vehicles and model years were programmed the same way.

Volkswagen is also facing the possibility of emissions concerns expanding to vehicles not powered by its TDI lineup of diesel engines. The company’s comments that “the majority of the vehicles concerned have diesel engines” stirred concerns regarding gasoline-powered offerings, and figures as high as 800,000 have been cited as potentially impacted.

Bentley has issued a recall for several newer Continental variants, citing a potential fire hazard.

The company completed a vehicle fire investigation in April, concluding that a loose battery cable connection had caused the incident. The problem was traced to a bolted connection where the cable passes through the front bulkhead.

The safety risk is said to increase if the battery is significantly discharged and the vehicle is operated under increased electrical load. In “rare cases,” such a scenario can create enough heat to ignite a vehicle fire.

The campaign is limited to 7,778 units including the 2012-2014 Continental GT, the 2012-2015 GTC, and the 2012-2014 Flying Spur.

Service technicians will replace the battery-cable securing nut to resolve the issue and prevent overheating.

McLaren is celebrating the start of production for its Sports Series family of entry-level cars.

Built at the McLaren Production Center in Woking, England, the lineup kicks off with the 570S Coupe. The first unit has already rolled off the production line for delivery to a showroom in the UK.

The 570S is powered by an adaptation of the same 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that powers the Super Series 650S. A third of its parts are entirely new, with output dropped to 562 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque.

The company is expected to offer a Spider convertible variant, along with a comfort-focused ‘Gran Turismo‘ package with a unique body shape and more interior space for long-haul cruising.

“The start of production of the new Sports Series cars is a pivotal moment for McLaren Automotive,” said sales and marketing director Jolyon Nash. “The Sports Series is targeted towards a new buyer and opens McLaren up to the sports car market that we have not served to date.”

McLaren has already received orders for at least 1,000 Sports Series cars. By 2018, with the full family available on the market, the company aims to more than double its annual sales volume to 4,000 cars per year.

Live images by Brian Williams.

Steve Jobs reportedly pondered the prospects of an Apple car in 2008, according to former Apple executive Tony Fadell.

The late Apple co-founder took “a couple of walks” with Fadell as the US auto industry faced potential collapse, according to a Bloomberg interview. The fellow executives discussed how Apple might approach such a product.

“If we were to build a car, what would we build? What would a dashboard be?” the pair asked. “How would you fuel it or power it?”

Jobs never made the decision to enter the automotive market before his death in 2011, instead focusing on the iPhone’s continued growth. Times have since changed, however, as the smartphone market becomes saturated.

Apple currently retains a few hundred billion dollars in its war chest, giving the company plenty of funding to enter a new segment. Analysts view the automotive market as ripe for disruption, on the cusp of a broad transition toward electrification and autonomous operation.

“A car has batteries; it has a computer; it has a motor; and it has mechanical structure,” Fadell said. “If you look at an iPhone, it has all the same things. It even has a motor in it.”

Fadell, now chief executive of Alphabet’s (Google’s) Nest division, cautions that he does not have firsthand knowledge of Apple’s car plans, however separate reports suggest several hundred employees have been dedicated to the project. The company is said to have set an ambitious launch target, aiming to bring a car to market by 2020.