Today's Chinese auto market is very similar to the Three Kingdoms era in the stage of separation.
New energy and new forces are traffic stars in terms of momentum, and traditional power and mainstream car companies are more lethal in the market. According to the data of the Passenger Car Association, the domestic retail sales of passenger cars in November were 2.08 million units, of which the sales of new energy vehicles were 8410,000 units, accounting for 404%；The sales volume of the new force is about 1270,000 units, accounting for only 61% share.
Therefore, when the first batch of new forces is about to enter the "ten-year period", they have not yet had the strength to compete with mainstream car companies, let alone "counterattack".
Speaking of mainstream car companies here, some people think that it is the "Eastern Han Dynasty in the last years", and the empire is about to decline. But in fact, they only suffered a little loss in front of them, but they did not shake the fundamentals. This is the advantage of mainstream car companies, local setbacks will not affect the stability of the overall situation, but will continue to grow.
Toyota, it's typical.
A strong system seeks stability
Not to be the best in the world, but to be the best local company. This is the management philosophy that Akio Toyoda, the current chairman of Toyota, focused on internally when he first took office as president. Thirteen years later, Toyota is still living that creed. Therefore, in the face of the "century-old changes in the industry", they did not sway easily, but moved forward steadily between movement and stillness.
Toyota's "Quiet" is a stable and powerful system. Toyota has been deeply involved in the Chinese market for more than 20 years, and has 2.5 million users in China for its intelligent electric hybrid models alone, and millions of traditional fuel vehicles have been sold in the past. Toyota understands Chinese consumers very well, and we trust Toyota more.
Today, the century-old fuel, coupled with the hybrid twin engines that are more than half a hundred years old, as well as the fast-growing pure electric and hydrogen energy, they have formed a stable "combination punch". Consumers also recognize this model, and Toyota's sales in the first half of the year ranked first in the world, and even achieved a year-on-year increase of 9%. Looking at China, GAC Toyota and FAW Toyota are also members of the "leading group" in the market.
Just recently at the 2023 Guangzhou Auto Show, FAW Toyota officially unveiled the all-new Crown and the all-new Prado , the former is a flagship sedan named after Toyota's high-end sequence, and the latter is a classic hard-core SUV with a new look.
GAC Toyota unveiled the all-new 9th-generation Camry, the first leapfrog intelligent electric SUV Bozhi 4X, as well as the A+-class intelligent pure electric SUV concept CONCEPT, and the C-class intelligent electric sedan concept CONCEPT.
From these models, we can see Toyota's attitude towards the present and future markets, that is, it will not completely abandon the past glory and classic "IP", nor will it completely abandon fuel power. Rather, with the help of electrification, the original large-displacement engine can achieve energy conservation and emission reduction on the basis of maintaining high performanceAt the same time, with more secure pure electric models, more consumers dare to try electrification, become familiar with electrification, and finally trust electrification.
On the other hand, whether it is manufacturing or technology research and development, Toyota has a solid foundation and a solid "family foundation". They can be "not impatient or impatient", steadily lead consumers into the new generation of travel, and find a healthy growth path for themselves in this challenging market.
Take electric drive as an example, what many new forces are pursuing is the ultimate performance explosion, such as millisecond-level response and "lightning-fast" speed-up performance. However, for the majority of consumers, such a "power" is still a little difficult to control, and even becomes a kind of pressure to travel by car.
Mainstream car companies like Toyota are more thoughtful, and they also add dimensions such as comfort, safety, and energy consumption to the system. Therefore, whether it is a dual engine or pure electric, the grasp of the speed and distance of the vehicle can be very delicate, and it is very comfortable to drive.
At the same time, at the level of intelligent cockpit and driving assistance, Toyota is considering how to be more secure and easy to operate, so that users are more willing to use these functions frequently, and truly reflect the effect of assistance and comfort and convenience.
When choosing a car, in addition to paying attention to the first, the actual quality and real benefits are the key to making a decision. Toyota, Volkswagen and other mainstream car companies can be in the leading position in the global auto market for a long time, strict quality management and people-oriented car manufacturing concepts are crucial. Only in this way will Toyota be able to ensure that each vehicle is as good as it should be, so that consumers feel that it is worth the money, and thus cultivate goodwill and trust.
Therefore, even if there are a dazzling array of new brands, new products, and new tricks on the market, more cautious consumers will still choose mainstream car companies like Toyota. Consumers who dare to try new things are also willing to start with mainstream car companies, because such attempts are basically risk-free and will be much less stressful.
In fact, there are now many new forces that have noticed the importance of "slow pace", and in addition to "rushing and fighting", they have begun to gradually build their own systems, which has the meaning of moving closer to mainstream car companies. The most typical thing is that more and more new forces no longer only advertise "fast acceleration" but also propagate "steady development";Not only the model products are "smart" enough, but the manufacturing is also "smart" enough;It's not just about how cool the model is, but also about more practical features.
Therefore, these traditional qualities of Toyota, no matter how many times have changed, are the core competitiveness.
Actively explore and change
While sticking to stability, Toyota is also actively "acting", thinking about changes, and taking the initiative to respond to the ups and downs of the market.
Change is first and foremost at the level of thinking. Tsuneji Sato, the new president, has said that Toyota will strive to become a mobility company centered on the development of BEVs from April, and the company will work around three themes: "electrification", "intelligence", and "diversification".
Among them, the focus of "electrification" is to "promote business reform starting with next-generation BEVs". Toyota believes that the time has come to strengthen the layout of pure electric vehicles, and the company will change the way of manufacturing, sales, and service from the perspective of giving priority to pure electric vehicles. The "pioneers" of this work will be the development of solid-state batteries, the introduction of next-generation all-electric models under the Lexus brand, and the construction of infrastructure and software networks together with WOVEN.
Toyota believes that the focus of "intelligence" is to "learn to talk to the car" to make products safer, more comfortable, and more interesting. However, this is not simply "far ahead", but truly benefits consumers, so that everyone can experience the high quality brought by reducing fuel consumption, optimizing driving experience, and strengthening safety, and recognize the value of the purchased vehicle. To this end, Toyota has created the Arene operating system, which connects the vehicle, the user, and the sales and service system. In the future, Toyota will also "double repair software and hardware" to actively promote intelligent vehicles.
The last "diversification" is better understood, just as "in China, for China", selling cars in **, providing the most suitable products and services for local consumers.
Focusing on "new ideas", Toyota's top management team has also undergone new changes. For example, the two new vice presidents have a long history of grassroots experience, and all senior executives are no longer focused on a single department and business. They will form a joint force and contribute to Toyota's new goals.
These "new ideas" and "new systems" are also "working upwards and downwards" in China. On August 1 this year, Toyota's largest R&D base in China, Toyota Motor R&D Center (China)**, officially changed its name to Toyota Smart Electric Vehicle R&D Center (China)**, which is "IEM by Toyota".
After the renaming of the R&D center, Toyota's three joint ventures in China: FAW Toyota Motor, GAC Toyota Motor, and BYD Toyota Electric Vehicle Technology Co., Ltd., will break down organizational barriers and join the IEM by Toyota-led R&D project.
It will adopt a diversified power research and development route, and pure electric, plug-in hybrid, dual-engine hybrid and hydrogen power will be the main directions. At the same time, Denso and Aisin will also participate in the research and development of these powertrain technologies to accelerate the iterative evolution of electrified powertrains.
In terms of intelligence, the R&D center will accelerate design and R&D by making full use of space design and AI technology, and strive to make the intelligent cockpit have a better user experience, as well as autonomous driving technology and advanced safety technology that are more in line with China's actual road conditions.
At the same time, in order to enhance its competitiveness in the field of electrification and intelligence, Toyota also plans to reduce costs and increase efficiency in the Chinese market through measures such as "expanding local first-class suppliers", "improving parts design", and "reforming production technology and manufacturing processes".
Of course, the more important role of this R&D center is to transfer Toyota's technology to other markets around the world. I believe that in the near future, we will be able to see Toyota's technology produced in China blossom and bear fruit all over the world. For example, the next-generation BEV products under development, the new lithium-ion power battery, the rocket-stage hypersonic technology, the next-generation hydrogen fuel cell technology for commercial vehicles, and the modular, automatic vehicle moving production line technology.
Next-generation batteries.
On the left is the rear module of sheet metal parts, and on the right is the integrated casting module.
Compared to what we once knew, Toyota seems to have changed substantially. From the top management to specific technology products, from thinking to action, Toyota is making great strides in innovation. Inheritance and innovation will also become Toyota's sculls against the current, allowing it to fight the rapids.
Bang Reviews
Whether it is building a car or driving, it is a long-term and long thing, and it is necessary to find the most suitable rhythm and develop good awareness Xi. These precious treasures will play an important role and value in any era and in any environment, and will even determine life and death.
As for adhering to long-termism, it is obvious that mainstream car companies like Toyota have more advantages. After all, they have been in the market for decades, know how to meet the needs of survival, and have the accumulation of resources and reputation.
However, Toyota did not "eat the old book", but "boldly explore and practice carefully". In the field of smart electric vehicles for so many years, they have actually played the role of "sober popularizers", just like cultivating good driving Xi, gradually letting consumers understand and trust smart electric. Now that the technical environment and market environment are mature enough, mainstream car companies such as Toyota will naturally not miss the opportunity and are beginning to accelerate their efforts.
Looking forward to Toyota, which has mastered the "code of the times", will become "Fengdian" and fight for the next hundred years.