Water is impermanent, or still water flows deeply, or it flows violently.
In Eastern philosophy, compared with the ultimate pursuit of cooking oil with fire, the spirit of flowing water with ease has more sustainable stamina. The inducement of the previous stage is precisely the accumulation of energy for the full burst of the next stage.
Toyota, accustomed to using this philosophy, stopped expanding production in 2012 for a three-year plan, buying time to focus on profits, quality, and overall management, so that it has become the only car leader to hold the global annual sales of 10 million vehicles.
This time, it's the turn of the electrification transition. After a long time of energy storage, the originally calm water surface began to ripple to surge, so can Toyota set off a new situation of electrification?
The value of the car is created by each customer, the role of the car is to connect with the society, constantly expand its own potential, and the car is created by your 'wishes'. This is the next generation of BEVs and software-defined vehicles! Cars are going to be even more fun! ”
When Toyota Motor President Tsuneji Sato said this more than a month ago during his keynote speech during the Japan Mobility Show 2023, the electric SUV concept called the FT-3E and the FT-SE sports car concept were on the left and right.
The official description of the two concept cars is that they can allow owners to enjoy the "fun of personalization", so that each car can "evolve into a unique car".
Compared with the suddenness of Akio Toyoda, the former president of Toyota, who "summoned 15 electric vehicles" in 2021, Toyota's role in electric vehicles this time is more distinct, the technology is more mature, and the progress is closer to landing. It also means that Toyota's electrification "big wave" continues to exert force.
At the Japan Mobility Show, Toyota's electrification can be called an all-round attack.
Compared with the wave of electrification of other car companies, what is the embodiment of Toyota's "giant"?
At a technical briefing held in June this year, Toyota officially announced the "new system policy themes" of "electrification", "intelligence", and "diversification". We all know that electrification is expensive, and even its peers such as Volkswagen and GM have to choose all-in pure electric. Toyota, out of consideration for the diversified needs of users, resolutely chose the path of diversified supply.
In this tide that has swept the automobile industry for a century, Toyota has portrayed its own understanding and positioning with diversified stubbornness, and has continued to be as generous and broad as ever.
From Tokyo to Guangzhou, Toyota's answer
Why isn't Toyota all-in? Someone asked.
We all laughed, the all-in of other car companies is from the perspective of their own resources, all invested in one field; Toyota also has all-in, which is to incorporate "all" into its own technology path and product range. This is another level of "all-in", you can see: gasoline-electric hybrid, plug-in hybrid, pure electric, hydrogen-powered, you can see them "all in" Toyota's portfolio.
It is this kind of "reverse all-in" that gave birth to Toyota's rich and colorful lineup of exhibitors at the Japan Mobility Show 2023, reflecting the attitude and in-depth thinking of the world's largest car company towards new energy.
Looking at Toyota's performance during the exhibition, pure electric models have undoubtedly become its core products in the future stage. It's a resounding answer that shows its determination to make the transition to electrification.
FT-3e and FT-SE Concept.
However, as Toyota has upheld, it has adhered to the concept of "diversification" while promoting "electrification" and "intelligence". This Japan Mobility Exhibition is also a stage for Toyota's "diversification" in the field of new energy.
For example, in the corner of Toyota's booth, a pure electric concept car called Toyota Kayoibako is designed to achieve a wide range of applicability through internal hardware changes.
The Kayoibako can actually be regarded as a fully electrified K-CAR
The Toyota Kayoibako is between a minivan and an MPV, and its length is only 3,990 mm, similar to the popular K-Car in Japan. Due to the box-shaped body and the characteristics of the electric drive, the interior space is abundant, and various functions can be performed with different hardware modules.
At the press conference during the exhibition, President Tsuneji Sato personally explained the case. For example, there is a rowing boat on top to carry the whole family on a trip. Or equipped with some accessories, it can be transformed into a special vehicle for the disabled to go out and move.
Of course, Toyota's interpretation of "diversity" during the Tokyo Mobility Show did not stop there. The new pickup truck model IMV 0 also attracted the attention of many participants.
The most important feature of this car is the replaceable modular rear cargo box. At present, the official modular rear compartment includes a mobile café, a capsule bar, a mobile cargo platform, a comfortable rear personnel cabin, and a rear ambulance cabin. It can be used for catering, stalls, personnel transportation and ambulance functions.
The "Versatile" IMV 0 is one of the embodiment of Toyota's "diversity" spirit.
Of course, the owner can also install a personal living pod with a roof rack if required, turning the vehicle into a mobile cabin that can be driven around the world.
Similarly, you can see the "oil car and tram, all in Toyota lineup". The other half of the scene is on top of the just-concluded Guangzhou Auto Show - one of the biggest highlights of this year's auto show is that Prado is about to return to the Chinese market.
The new Prado will soon be produced in China.
At the 21st Guangzhou Auto Show held in mid-November, FAW Toyota officially announced the news. And with the "return" of Prado, there is also a new crown. The latter is positioned in the high-end market and will compete with models such as the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6 in the mid-to-high-end market.
In addition, considering that Corolla, Asian Dragon, R**4 Rongfang, Ruifang, Lingfang, etc., including its dual-engine models, will all be renovated in the near future, FAW Toyota's work can be described as quite busy.
But Yifeng is not the only one who is busy.
GAC Toyota, the "host" of the Guangzhou Auto Show, is also in full swing to promote the localization of the ninth-generation Camry model. Because during the Guangzhou Auto Show, this Toyota flagship sedan based on TNGA architecture, equipped with Toyota's new generation intelligent cockpit, and equipped with the fifth-generation intelligent electric hybrid dual-engine power system was officially announced in China.
The ninth-generation Camry is in production in 2024.
Although during this Guangzhou Auto Show, GAC Toyota also released the first leapfrog intelligent electric SUV Bozhi 4X, but in general, looking at the performance of North and South Toyota at the auto show, fuel and gasoline-electric hybrid (double engine) are still the main force of Toyota in the Chinese market. But just as Tokyo is only half the answer, Guangzhou represents the other half. If we combine the two into one, we can also reveal the whole picture of Toyota's deep thinking about electrification.
The still water flows deeply, and it accumulates steadily
In the Chinese market, there is no shortage of Toyota's appreciators – precisely because it is a rational appreciation, we do not need to call them "fans". Among them, some appreciators are also anxious, why did Toyota's electrification pace seem relatively slow before?
The answer lies in the path of great change, Toyota chose the first half of the still water flow deep, and it needs to accumulate thick in order to thin the hair in the next stage.
Starting in 2023, the world will begin to mention one of Toyota's new energy weapons - solid-state batteries.
In June this year, Toyota officially proposed "electrification", "intelligence" and "diversification" at the technical briefing, and it also came up with new energy hard power with innovation potential, of which the typical representative is solid-state battery technology.
Takero Kato, head of Toyota's BEV Factory.
In May of this year, Toyota established a subsidiary organization dedicated to pure electric technology, the BEV Factory.
At the briefing, Takero Kato, the head of the BEV Factory, who made his public debut, made his public debut, and introduced a variety of new EV battery products developed with Toyota's technology, including the "performance battery" and "general production battery" that are scheduled to be commercialized in three years (2026), as well as the "high-performance battery" and "all-solid-state battery" that are scheduled to be commercialized in 2027 and 2028.
Of course, when Toyota talks about new energy technologies, hydrogen energy is also an indispensable topic. On the one hand, it has invested heavily in this field, but it is also because hydrogen energy is unique.
At a technical briefing in June, Mitsumasa Yamagata from Toyota, which is in charge of the hydrogen power plant, introduced hydrogen energy technology. In addition to further introducing Toyota's new progress in the field of hydrogen energy technology in the past two years, he also said that it would promote commercialization in the form of R&D, production and sales integration, and bluntly said that "we should strive to provide more reasonable products through the business model of volume pricing".
Flowing water is the first to be the first
Tao Te Ching says: Good is like water, and water is good for all things without fighting. Now there is a derivative version of the Internet joke: the flow of water does not compete for the first, but the competition is endless. In the Japanese automobile industry, Toyota can best represent the implementers of Eastern philosophy, with still water flowing deep and overcoming rigidity with softness, which is in contrast to the exhaustion of Western industrial civilization and the pursuit of perfection.
It's just that when the auto industry is inevitably involved in the whirlpool of drastic changes, it is difficult for the flowing water to hold its still, and it also begins to rush to be the first. This time, is the flowing water competing for "huge waves crashing into the sky", or ending up with "broken stones"? From the JMS Japan Mobility Show derived from the Tokyo Motor Show, and the dynamics of the Guangzhou Motor Show, Toyota has unveiled the first page of the answer: from the deep still water, it has begun to turn to the rush of the first.
Electrification is the way to go, and there's no doubt about that today. But this also does not mean that electrification is pure electrification.
Since the beginning of 2023, the new energy market in the Chinese market has continued to accelerate, but new trends have begun to emerge - in terms of market performance, automotive products that take technical routes such as hybrid and range extension are rising, and PHEV models are also being recognized by more and more car owners who want to be safe and therefore "compromise". In the segment of fuel vehicles, vehicles equipped with Toyota's unique gasoline-electric hybrid technology are being chosen by more and more new car owners.
In the process of embracing electrification, Toyota has chosen different routes from mainstream giants such as GM and Volkswagen, and in addition to launching pure electric models represented by the BZ series, it is also actively promoting further development in the fields of pure electric vehicles, PHEVs, and fuel cells.
There are good reasons for this choice.
After all, from the perspective of consumer demand, all kinds of models have their own use scenarios, and the needs of each user are not consistent. What's more, China is a country with huge latitudes across the north and south, and in those high-latitude provinces in the north, there are usually low temperature periods ranging from 3 to 5 months per year, which will greatly affect the normal use of pure electric vehicles.
Toyota's cautious attitude is actually recognized by the market. In 2022, the total global sales of Toyota's cars will reach 11.38 million units, of which the sales of Toyota's single brand will reach 1048300,000 units. In the Chinese market, where there are various rumors, sales will remain stable in the first half of 2023, and new growth points will be gradually brewed in the second half of the year with the model replacement cycle.
And now, Toyota's offensive has begun, mainly reflected in two things.
First, in China, relying on the mature and reliable manufacturing system established by joint ventures, we will develop and produce new energy products with high durability and safety for users.
Whether it is to provide profits from the perspective of car enterprise groups, as a "bullet" for the research and development of the new energy sector, or from the production management system, talent training, to from China to the world, joint ventures have always played an important and positive role in the industry, and are an important pole of China's auto market.
Second, Toyota is accelerating the implementation of electrification and intelligent technologies.
With the gradual fulfillment of the promise at the end of 21 years, who would dare to make fun of this scene today.
Pure electric and plug-in hybrids go without saying. In 2021, Akio Toyoda, the former president of Toyota, came up with 15 electric vehicles, and there were many applaudors and skeptics at the time.
Looking back now, not only the Bozhi 4X, BZ3 and Lexus RZ, which had been announced at the time, had already been put on mass production. In addition, Kayoibako and even the FT-3E and FT-SE mentioned above are also derived from the conceptual design in the picture.
Diesel-electric hybrid HEV technology is also continuing to iterate. The new generation of HEV technology is continuing to develop, and the improvement of the original HEV power architecture is also being comprehensively promoted. From nickel-metal hydride battery packs, to ternary lithium battery packs;From the original heavy system to the lightweight and miniaturization of the three electric vehicles, HEV models have been endowed with strong energy-saving performance and power performance.
At the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE), which ended earlier last month, Toyota exhibited its first all-electric Robotaxi concept car jointly released with Pony.ai.
This is not a robotaxi that is simply spliced together
This BZ4X-based Robotaxi concept car, relying on Pony.ai, debuted the seventh-generation autonomous driving passenger car software and hardware system, and the sensors still use a vehicle-grade multi-sensor solution including solid-state lidar, camera, and millimeter-wave radar, which has all-weather driving capabilities and L4 intelligent driving level.
It is worth noting that this is not a robotaxi with a huge "tumor" on its head, which is simply spliced together from a traditional car and an intelligent driving system, but a special specification concept prototype with deep integration of sensor system and body. In a sense, it can be regarded as the prototype of Toyota's high-end intelligent driving version of the pure electric car.
There is no doubt that the controversy over whether Toyota is engaged in autonomous driving can be officially settled. And we also have reason to believe that Toyota can make some major breakthroughs in the intelligent driving system of passenger cars through this cooperation.
Turning technology into a product, Toyota is not fast, but it is very stable and powerful. This is also the embodiment of the stamina of the "flowing water philosophy".
Water is impermanent, and water drops wear stones", which is often admired in traditional Chinese Confucian culture, and it is logical that Japan, as a "student", embodies this idea through Toyota.
Standing in the new era of the industry, the flowing water is vying for the first, and the waves are beginning to appear. For more than 80 years, Toyota has relied on its own philosophy to stand at the end of the industry from the end of the green apples to the pinnacle of the industry. Now that the industrial pattern has encountered a subversive situation, how high can the surging water set off waves?
The echo of the voice of the question reverberated not only in Tokyo, but also on the wider side of the ocean.