Natural selection, survival of the fittest, this classic natural law warns us that only when everything in the world adapts to the environment in which it is located, can it survive for a long time in the competition of the jungle.
The same is true for the automotive industry. Today, the trend towards electrification and intelligence is irreversible.
According to the data of the Passenger Association, the annual retail sales penetration rate of China's new energy market has increased year by year, from 49%, and by January-October this year, it has increased to 346%。
It can be seen that the increasing demand for new energy market has become an established fact.
If they want to develop in this ever-changing new era, major car companies need to adapt to the new order and use new thinking and new strategies to promote reform, including product strategy, technological innovation, service concept, etc.
As a world-class car company, Toyota is also actively accelerating the breakthrough when responding to the wave of electrification and intelligent transformation, and not only has enough determination and sincerity, but also has its own unique strategic thinking.
Break the doubts and speed up the implementation of the strategy
To this day, in the impression of some people, Toyota is still immersed in the market dividends brought by traditional fuel vehicles, and has not been very interested in the development of electrification and intelligence, and even believes that Toyota has a boycott attitude.
It is indeed difficult to have expectations and confidence in Toyota's future prospects, but is this really the case?
The answer is obviously no, in fact, Toyota's electrification and intelligent reform road is more drastic and neat than everyone imagined.
In April of this year, Toyota officially launched President Tsuneji Sato's new system, and the theme of the new system is "Inheritance and Evolution," which means that it will inherit the concept of "product and region-centered management" and "evolve into a mobility company centered on the development of pure electric vehicles."
To be more specific, Toyota will focus on "carbon neutrality" and "mobility value" to develop electrification, intelligence and diversification.
Of course, this move is not empty words, Toyota's rapid pace of practice and results, has already demonstrated its strong determination, take 2023 as an example:
At the Shanghai Auto Show in April, Toyota officially launched the fifth-generation intelligent electric hybrid dual engine, and its three-electric system and intelligence have been further upgraded. In addition, Toyota has unveiled two all-electric concept cars – the BZ Sport Crossover Concept and the BZ FlexSpace Concept.
In May, Toyota established the BEV Factory, a dedicated organization for BEVs, whose core is to change the future with BEV through the transformation of automobiles, manufacturing, and work.
In June, Toyota held a technical briefing on the theme of "Changing the Future of Automobiles", and announced the details of electrification in the next few years and more than 20 black technologies, including the launch of the first model of the next-generation BEV in 2026, with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers.
In October, at the Japan Mobile Show (JMS), Toyota launched new energy models such as the FT-3E electric SUV concept, the FT-SE sports car concept, the Kayoibako that takes into account both personal travel and commercial transportation, and the IMV 0, a customizable pickup truck.
At the Guangzhou Auto Show in November, Toyota also made frequent moves, not only bringing two pure electric concept cars, but also launching a new generation of Camry and the first leapfrog intelligent electric SUV Bozhi 4X.
The center of gravity is shifted, and the Chinese style is "inheritance and evolution".
Although we always advocate "a bowl of water", for Toyota, its strategic center is actually more biased towards the Chinese market.
The reason is also very simple, on the electrification and intelligence of automobiles, China's development speed can be said to be the only one in the world, and it is this market leadership that Toyota has decisively adopted the strategy of "adapting measures to local conditions".
As Tatsuro Ueda, director of Toyota's China headquarters, said, China's automotive market is developing very rapidly in terms of intelligence and electrification, and only by making decisions in China can we develop products that satisfy Chinese consumers.
To this end, Toyota has come up with a Chinese-style solution of "inheritance and evolution", and has decisively focused its technology research and development and human resource development on China. List Toyota's "in China" related initiatives:
(1) Pooling local resources, supplemented by global strength
In August this year, Toyota's largest R&D base in China, Toyota Motor R&D Center (China)** referred to as TMEC, was renamed "Toyota Smart Electric Vehicle R&D Center (China)** abbreviated as IEM by Toyota)". Behind the name change, the essence is Toyota's determination to further focus on the local research and development of electric intelligence.
Toyota is accelerating the development of electrified powertrains by adding engineers from the R&D centers of its three joint ventures (FAW Toyota Motor ***, GAC Toyota Motors, BYD Toyota Electric Vehicle Technology Co., Ltd., and Toyota Electric Vehicle Technology Co., Ltd.) to the R&D project led by IEM by Toyota, as well as Denso and Aisin.
(2) Actively seek cooperation and close ties with China
Joining forces with local technology companies and producing models that better meet the needs of Chinese consumers has been something Toyota has been doing for a long time. As early as 2020, it established a joint venture company (BTET) with BYD to jointly develop smart electric products that are more suitable for the Chinese market.
This year, GAC Toyota, Toyota China, and Pony.ai are steadily advancing the L4 pure electric driverless robotaxi cooperation, which will enable GAC Toyota's higher-level intelligent driving technology to land, and will be more in line with China's actual road conditions.
In addition to BYD and Pony.ai, Toyota has also been strengthening cooperation with other Chinese companies, including CATL, SinoHytec, NavInfo, etc., involving pure electric research and development, hydrogen energy promotion, intelligent development, autonomous driving and other fields.
(3) Cultivate local talents and attach importance to China's strength
Nowadays, the competition between electrification and intelligence is, in the final analysis, the competition of talents, and based on China's market environment, talents also need to have localization characteristics, so Toyota has implemented two measures:
At the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show, Toyota announced that the future R&D and decision-making on smart electric vehicles will be directly made by Tatsuro Ueda, the head of Toyota's China headquarters, without the approval of the Japanese headquarters.
On the other hand, the two concept cars of the BZ series, the BZ Sport Crossover Concept and the BZ FlexSpace Concept, were unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show, and their core designs were both with the participation of local Chinese designers.
It should be pointed out here that whether it is cooperating with local companies or cultivating local talents, there is one principle that remains the same, that is, to maximize Toyota's advantages in design, quality control, and Toyota's dedication and philosophy to car manufacturing.
Diversified technology, adhere to all-round electrification
As for the technical route, the current Chinese market is characterized by diversification, which also means that pure electric technology is not the only way for Toyota to achieve transformation.
Previously, Toyota Motor President Tsuneji Sato made it clear that Toyota has always adhered to multi-path development in electrification and low-carbonization, because the market demand is diverse, and we will promote multi-path development around the world, which has always been unchanged.
Of course, if you want to go multiple ways and insist on all-round electrification, it will inevitably be a severe test of the comprehensive strength of car companies, and Toyota is obviously confident enough to provide consumers with diversified mobility solutions.
In terms of BEVs (battery electric vehicles), Toyota will further increase its market share of its products, and according to the plan, Toyota will introduce 35 new electrified models by 2025, including five models in the BZ series in China.
In addition, Toyota is also actively exploring the innovation of power lithium batteries, especially all-solid-state batteries, which have attracted much attention.
It is planned to be installed in BEV models from 2027 to 2028, and it is said that it can achieve a range of 1,200 kilometers in 10 minutes on a charge, and it is expected to keep costs under control.
In the field of HEVs (hybrid vehicles), Toyota has been accumulating technology for 26 years since the launch of the world's first mass-produced HEV model, the Prius Prius, in 1997. In the long run, HEV products still have good market prospects.
On the basis of inheriting the previous four generations of hybrid technology, Toyota has now evolved the fifth-generation "intelligent electric hybrid dual engine", and has also upgraded the three-electric system and intelligence, which will also bring a better driving experience to Chinese consumers in the future.
In terms of FCEV (fuel cell vehicles), Toyota is also insisting on promoting the development of commercial vehicles as the core of mass production, and currently has the industrial chain technology for hydrogen energy applications, including hydrogen production, hydrogen storage, hydrogen transportation, and hydrogen use.
It is reported that next spring, Toyota's first dedicated plant for hydrogen fuel cell systems built outside of Japan will start production in Beijing.
The original intention remains the same, helping to travel worry-free
Whether it is a fuel track or a new energy track, Toyota's original intention of adhering to "mobility for all" remains unchanged.
Toyota has been deeply engaged in the research and development of welfare models, and currently sells a variety of welfare models ranging from compact cars to minivans in the global market.
As for the future of electrification and intelligent products, Toyota will continue to demonstrate its corporate responsibility and responsibility, and give more people with disabilities the right to travel freely through diversified travel modes such as welfare vehicles. 、
Write at the end
Based on China, leading the world" can well summarize the core of Toyota's current reform strategy, in fact, we do not need to doubt Toyota's determination and means to transform, because making better cars has always been an important value of Toyota.
On the other hand, Toyota has been able to achieve today's achievements, during which it is bound to go through many changes, and the result is that Toyota has broken through layers of obstacles, and has won the love of users around the world with its continuous technological innovation and craftsmanship.
Nowadays, in the face of the wave of electrification and intelligence in the Chinese market, Toyota has paid enough attention to capital investment, talent training, and technological innovation.
So we have every reason to believe that China will become Toyota's global driving force and ultimately help it break new ground.