Author: Guan Hongye.
The wind is warm, the spring is getting stronger, and the "abundant" scenery of the Chinese land is just right. Rush progress, grasp quality, test new cars, busy production scene is in full swing, since last year after the 20th anniversary of its establishment, FAW Toyota has opened a new chapter of another 20 years.
At the beginning of the year, FAW Toyota ushered in a good start. Continuing the growth momentum at the end of last year, vehicle production in January this year increased by 18 percent year-on-year8%。
It is not only committed to the growth of "quantity", but also focuses on the improvement of "quality" and strengthens the gold content of high-quality development. In 2024, FAW Toyota will make efforts in electrification, intelligence and other aspects to consolidate its dominant position. A new model for the post-joint venture era is emerging.
More than 20 years of evergreen, continuous acceleration
In the past 2023, China's auto market has been turbulent and unpredictable. No matter from which dimension it is evaluated, "difficult" is an unavoidable theme. But it is also in this context that those figures who break through against the trend and leap upwards are particularly profound.
In 2023, FAW Toyota Retail will achieve 800018 units, a year-on-year increase of 41%, of which new energy vehicles increased by 367% year-on-year. It has achieved the only positive growth of mainstream Japanese joint venture brands. Dancing in the headwind, it once again confirmed the rigidity of China's automobiles and confirmed the resilience of China's economy.
Among them, high-end and electrification have become the two core growth poles: high-end models, including Crown Lufang, Grevia, and Asian Dragon, account for 498%, and electrified models accounted for 356%。
And this is just one part of the last 20 years. Since 2003, the joint venture automobile business initiated by FAW and Toyota of Japan has been growing bigger and stronger in China. For more than 20 years, FAW Toyota has accumulated solid business development strength, reserved and opened up the cooperation model of the whole industry chain, and has three production bases in Tianjin, Changchun and Chengdu, 524 first-class merchants and nearly 750 dealers, and a total of nearly 700,000 people in the whole industry chain. The experience and harvest during this period are summarized by the senior management of FAW Toyota: it seems to be the most rugged and ordinary, but it is easy but hard.
What is even more worthy of pride is that after more than 20 years of intensive cultivation, FAW Toyota has won the reputation of "driving is not bad", and vividly interprets FAW Toyota's brand strength and excellent reputation in the recognition, support and trust of more than 11 million users.
In 2023, according to the results of the customer satisfaction index of China's automotive industry, FAW Toyota won 7 crowns in the competition of 173 brand models. Among them, the five models of Corolla, Corolla Ruifang, Rongfang, Crown Lufang and Grevia ranked first in product quality satisfaction in each market segment; Grevia's sales in December ranked first among joint venture MPVs. In this evaluation, FAW Toyota won the double championship in the field of service satisfaction in the sales and after-sales of the joint venture brand, of which the after-sales service satisfaction achieved six consecutive championships and the sales service satisfaction achieved four consecutive championships.
Satisfaction does not stop there, in terms of ESG, FAW Toyota has achieved a greater range of harmony and win-win results. By formulating a dual-carbon action plan for the linkage of the whole industrial chain, and working with the upstream and downstream logistics and transportation systems of the industrial chain, CO2 emissions will be reduced by 1% km year by year. At present, FAW Toyota's photovoltaic grid-connected power generation scale has reached 9957 MW, 79.69 million kWh of grid-connected power generation was realized, and the total proportion of green power reached 2895%。
At the same time, FAW Toyota's brand and many of its models have once again won the No. 1 value retention rate1。According to the "2023 Automobile Retention Rate Report" of the China Automobile Dealers Association, the FAW Toyota brand ranks first in the three-year retention rate of joint venture manufacturers; Rongfang ranked first in the three-year value retention rate of joint venture compact SUVs; Prado won the three-year value retention championship for medium and large SUVs in joint ventures. Multiple crowns will open a new chapter in the high value retention of FAW Toyota's products in 2024.
Objectively speaking, among more than 100 domestic automobile companies, FAW Toyota has repeatedly refreshed the industry benchmark. It was the first to introduce hybrid vehicles, the first to complete the all-round electrification layout, and the first to launch a high-end series ...... in a production vehicleBoth longitudinal and horizontal comparisons show a kind of "development line with increasing acceleration".
In the process of shortening millions of vehicles, in the practice of long-termism that starts with the end in mind, the outside world has seen the acceleration of accumulation, and also strengthened the trust of FAW Toyota.
Details determine success or failure, and "creation" is not outdated
For more than 20 years, the tide of the times has risen and fallen. In the development context of FAW Toyota, no matter the external undercurrent is surging or the waves are surging, there is a core concept that does not change with the fluctuation of foreign objects: inheritance and evolution.
Adhering to the spirit of long-termism and adhering to the QDR production standards of high quality, high durability and high reliability, FAW Toyota has created a number of star models including Corolla, Rongfang, and Asian Dragon. In fact, whether it is more than 20 years of history or a total of 11 million vehicles, the market's deepest impression of this car company is that the "not bad" Toyota has been integrated into the lives of generations of Chinese.
In this regard, the top management of FAW Toyota has a special say.
When it comes to FAW Toyota's core competitiveness, it is "keep improving". "By adhering to the 'excellence' with heart, it runs through the introduction of models, design and development, lean manufacturing, quality control, user vehicle safety, driving experience, functional innovation, service management and other aspects, and does not let go of any detail of polishing, and is committed to allowing users to enjoy the most mature, high-quality, efficient and safe driving experience. ”
In the era of chaotic flowers and charming eyes, "far ahead" is blooming everywhere, and "the best within xxx thousand" is it said, is "creation" outdated?
In this regard, what FAW Toyota wants to convey most is that "the creation is not only not 'outdated', but is still being inherited and developed".
As long as you walk into the FAW Toyota factory, you can capture those pictures that seem "ordinary" and "not worth mentioning" in them, but they reflect the rigorous car manufacturing and detail polishing.
Case 1: Steel plates also have a shelf life
The stamping process is the first process of vehicle production, and the quality of stamping parts is the basis of vehicle quality, which is very important. QDR stamping engineer introduced, first of all, the shelf life of the plate: FAW Toyota only uses the plate within the shelf life, although the user does not understand this, but FAW Toyota adheres to the quality, strictly inspects the quality and shelf life of the included plate, and will never use the expired plate. The second is the treatment of the plate before stamping, before entering the stamping machine, the plate should be cleaned and cared for with cleaning oil, after the "four groups of double-sided cleaning process", the dust and cutting powder on the surface of the plate have been thoroughly cleaned, and the possibility of concave and convex on the surface of the finished stamping part is eliminated. From every subtlety of the source, we will guard every level for users.
Case 2: Gluing is a delicate job
In the paint shop, "excellence" is also achieved to the extreme. As far as the gluing process is concerned, which is not easy to detect by visual senses, the temperature and viscosity of the sealant are strictly set in FAW Toyota. According to QDR coating engineers, the purpose of gluing is to meet the performance requirements of the body such as waterproof, rust-proof, sound insulation, and dust-proof. When working, glue exists in liquid form, and it is important to establish management standards according to the region and environment. In FAW Toyota, the management standard for glue is 27 degrees plus or minus two degrees. In order to ensure that the temperature requirements of the glue can be met under any climatic conditions, air conditioners are installed in the pump room where the glue is stored and transported; In order to prevent the sealant from settling in the storage tank, a stirrer is also specially set up, which works 365 days a year without stopping, even when it is not in production, the entire sealant circulation system will not stop, so that it is always in a flowing state; In addition, in view of the temperature loss during the conveying of sealant, FAW Toyota has specially installed a heat tracing device on the conveying pipeline to ensure that a constant temperature can be guaranteed regardless of the distance of transportation.
Case 3: "The user buys 100% of the new cars".
In the ** workshop, there is a large screw with a fashionable purple color prominently. Obviously, this is by no means intended to increase appearance. According to the person in charge, purple is a layer of friction coefficient stabilizer, which can increase the durability of parts. Through repeated trials and comparisons with leading companies, FAW Toyota has experienced different salt water concentrations, pH values, spray amounts, air saturator temperatures and compressed air pressures through repeated trials and comparisons with leading companies, and finally created a screw that has been "trained" and "seen in the world".
Taking the daily production of the production line as an example, QDR engineers introduced that if there is damage to parts during the vehicle inspection, even if it can be simply repaired, FAW Toyota will not repair it, but replace it with new parts. "Because users are buying 100% of a new car with 100% of their money, not a repaired car. ”
With the ingenuity of "excellence" to promote the vehicle back to its essence, from considering whether the whole cycle of the car will cause a burden to the environment, as small as the torque and friction coefficient of a screw, this is FAW Toyota's "top priority".
As they said: "Because the user is our sweetheart, mass production happiness for the user is the goal of FAW Toyota people's hard work, which cannot be compromised and compromised." The satisfied smile on the face when driving is the most valuable reward for FAW Toyota. ”
From stamping to painting, the whole system process, the "little things" that the engineer humbly told also reflect FAW Toyota's top priority: the creation of quality is not outdated, it is just growing.
Empower post-joint ventures with new variables
In the era of great change, everyone is worried about what kind of skyline will be rolled up in the future, and they are looking forward to passing through the cycle in the fog of uncertainty.
For joint ventures, the challenges are even greater. From the upward curve to the fluctuation hovering, in the post-joint venture era, joint venture car companies have encountered great difficulties and challenges.
Steady change, change in organic, facts have proved that the past joint venture model needs to be innovated urgently. In the context of the surge of electrification and intelligence, it is necessary to inherit and evolve the previous joint venture system and mechanism, form a more efficient and diversified R&D and supporting system, and provide more high-quality products and services to adapt to new changes in science and technology and new needs of users.
In 2023, China FAW and Toyota Motor jointly signed a framework agreement to deepen strategic cooperation, drawing a blueprint for accelerating FAW Toyota's transformation and upgrading and high-quality development. It emphasizes adhering to green transformation, seizing the opportunity of rapid growth of new energy vehicles, and accelerating the layout of the new energy industry and the launch of models.
In the future, FAW Toyota will respond to the Chinese market with a variety of different road use environments under the "multi-channel" development route. In addition to the rapid growth of electric vehicles, FAW Toyota has a variety of options such as hydrogen energy vehicles with an eye for the future, as well as practical plug-in hybrid and intelligent hybrid vehicles, and is fulfilling the promise of happiness in mass production.
Obviously, in China, a market full of variables, FAW Toyota is also adding new "variables".
The expected good start of 2024 kicked off the evolution for the next 20 years.
In terms of technology research and development, while building independent R&D and production capacity, it will also strongly enhance the intelligent electrification strength of products and technologies, and upgrade the Toyota-Space intelligent cockpit system around five aspects, including super computing power, panoramic ecology, and intelligent voice. In addition, it is equipped with the newly upgraded T-Pilot intelligent driving assistance system, and introduces the world's leading intelligent mobility safety system.
In terms of drive technology and product evolution, FAW Toyota will form a two-line drive technology route of fuel technology and full electrification, and continue to expand new drive technologies on the basis of the multi-channel cutting-edge power technologies including fuel, pure electric, intelligent electric hybrid dual engine, intelligent plug-in dual engine, and intelligent hydrogen electric power.
In terms of new products, FAW Toyota will make all-round efforts in the field of electrification, continue to optimize the product structure, and promote the return of the "off-road god car" Land Cruiser Prado. At the same time, the BZ brand compact SUV was introduced to provide consumers with a variety of choices to meet multiple scenarios and road conditions.
In terms of product quality evolution, TNGA will improve the level of generalization and intelligence of TNGA's lean production platform at all production sites, and match the latest electrification technology and cutting-edge technology for production models.
The more you climb the slopes, the more you must work hard. In 2024, automobile companies will enter the deep water area of a century-old change, focusing on hard work, but also difficult to work hard. In particular, joint venture car companies are in the critical stage of transforming their development mode, how should they look at it and how to do it? FAW Toyota has outlined a big picture and a new picture with vigorous spirit, which is a vivid portrayal of the new model of the joint venture.