Toyota to set up $830 million SUV facility in Mississippi, US
Toyota Motor Corp, the world's second-largest carmaker is planning to set up a factory in Mississippi, its eighth in North America with an investment of $830 million.

The factory that will open in 2009, will make about 150,000 Highlander sport-utility vehicles a year.

Toyota just behind General Motors Corp. in global sales is setting up the factory to help meet surging US demand leading the company to import vehicles. Toyota's sales in the US grew 13 percent to 2.54 million last year, faster than Toyota's capacity in the region, raising fears in the company about a US political backlash over imports.

Toyota overtook DaimlerChrysler AG in 2006 to become the No. 3 automaker in the US as sales surged 13 percent. That included 1.18 million cars and light trucks built in Japan, the most ever brought into the US by any manufacturer.

Toyota may surpass GM as the world's biggest automaker this year.
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GM may consider stock swap for Chrysler
DaimlerChrysler is considering entering into a deal with General Motors that would involve swapping its money-losing Chrysler unit for a minority stake in its long-time rival, according to British media reports.

Daimler Chrysler, which has said all options are on the table, is looking at a stock swap along with other options including a sale to private equity or industry investors or a floatation, the Financial Times reported.

Both automakers have repeatedly declined comment since DaimlerChrysler set off a flurry of speculation on February 14 regarding the future of Chrysler, which has been hotly rumored to include the outright sale of the division.

Several competitors, including Renault-Nissan, Toyota and Hyundai have said they have no interest in buying Chrysler. General Motors (GM), however, has neither confirmed nor denied thr report.
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Microsoft to acquire medical search engine
Microsoft Corp. is acquiring Medstory Inc., a start-up search-engine technology developer in California that specialises in consumer medical information.

Terms of the purchase of known for developing intuitive search-engine technology, were not disclosed.

Microsoft is said to have been 'impressed with the ability of Medstory`s unique technology to organize and surface the most relevant online health content, which empowers consumers who are trying to find the right information about an important life event.
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