Author |Shen Tianxiang.
Edit |Li Guozheng.
Produced by |Bangning Studio (GBNGZS).
After many scientific and technological revolutions, the automobile industry in the midst of a century of great changes has entered the era of new quality productivity represented by electrification and intelligence, which has the characteristics of disruptive innovation-driven, fast development speed and high development quality, which can lead to a leap in industrial productivity.
Nowhere is this more evident than in mid-to-high-end sedans. This kind of product is the façade of car companies, condenses the refinement of car manufacturing, and has always regarded value as life. In the era of rapid progress, mid-to-high-end cars have been called for to focus on new quality productivity and continuously achieve value evolution.
On the evening of March 6, 2024, GAC Toyota's ninth-generation Camry was launched in Hangzhou, with a gasoline version priced at 17180,000 19680,000 yuan, the price of the intelligent electric hybrid dual engine is 17980,000 20680,000 yuan, slightly lower than the pre-sale price. These pricing breaks with tradition. GAC Toyota has launched a special 2The 0L dual-engine version brings the Camry intelligent electric hybrid product into the range of 170,000 yuan, almost lowering the starting price of the gasoline version. In the future, 25L dual-engine version. At the same time, the ninth-generation Camry has not compromised on quality and configuration because of the best, but has been comprehensively upgraded in the visible configuration and invisible quality, and starting from the new quality productivity, according to the needs of Chinese consumers, more innovative technologies developed locally, including exterior and interior design, intelligent cockpit, intelligent assisted driving, etc.
In recent years, despite the rapid development of electric vehicles, some market segments have become "big banners", but the mid-to-high-end sedan market is still firmly occupied by mainstream joint venture brands represented by Camry. Last year, Camry sold more than 200,000 units, winning the top sales in the mid-to-high-end sedan market. Since its debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show in November last year, the ninth-generation Camry has attracted a lot of attention, and consumers are looking forward to it. Many users who want to trade in a mid-to-high-end sedan are waiting for it to be launched. Two months ago, also in Hangzhou, the Geely Galaxy E8 was launched, bringing a competitive pure electric product to the mid-to-high-end sedan market. There are also some pure electric sedans that are also eyeing this segment. Can the menacing wave of new energy and competitors break the pattern of the mid-to-high-end sedan market? This time, the ninth-generation Camry showed the courage of self-revolution, the core product strength was comprehensively upgraded, and the ** of Shuangqing was equal with the fuel vehicle**, bringing consumers a better choice than traditional fuel and pure electric, and creating a sample of the old sales champion upgrading and advancement in the era of new quality productivity. Perhaps, the overall pattern of the mid-to-high-end sedan market will change, but the position of Camry is still difficult to be subverted. From value proposition to value presentation, the ninth-generation Camry focuses on new quality productivity, once again completes the value evolution, and once again becomes a new value ruler for mid-to-high-end sedans. 
Pure electric hybrid who is the better solution
The development of new energy vehicles can be divided into electrification, intelligence, and low-carbon. Ouyang Minggao, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and vice chairman of the China Electric Vehicle 100 Association, said recently. Decarbonization is the ultimate goal of the automotive industry. In promoting this goal, pure electric is not the only path, and in the present and even in the future medium and long-term stage, it must be a variety of power parallel development, which is the consensus of the industry. Each technology path has its own advantages and disadvantages. For consumers, which type of product to choose depends on the actual demand. If it is easy to charge, the main consideration is the use case. often run short commutes, pure electric vehicles are more economical; If the long-distance and short-distance are half each, plug-in hybrid or extended range can be selected. In short-distance scenarios, plug-in hybrid is very economical, but the battery capacity is small and needs to be charged frequently; In the long-distance scenario, although there is no range anxiety about the extended range, the fuel consumption is not low. For users who want to avoid the trouble of charging, the intelligent electric hybrid dual engine adopted by the ninth-generation Camry is a better choice than fuel vehicles - no matter long distances or short distances, it has no endurance and energy replenishment anxiety, and the overall fuel consumption is lower than that of traditional fuel vehicles, which is a more suitable technical route for all-scene travel. 
China has a vast territory, the terrain is high in the west and low in the east, the whole is mostly mountainous, the terrain is complex and diverse, and the climate varies greatly from south to north, from tropical to cold temperate zone. Under such complex national conditions, the new energy vehicles within the scope of the current standard definition are not fully applicable to all regions of the country. The intelligent electric hybrid dual engine is more like a new energy vehicle that does not need to be charged, which is suitable for use in all temperature ranges and all scenarios, and is suitable for most Chinese families. The ninth-generation Camry is equipped with a fully upgraded fifth-generation intelligent electric hybrid dual engine technology, which further improves fuel economy and environmental performance, and brings a stronger driving experience, allowing users to "not be afraid of three things". One is not afraid of far. The ninth-generation Camry Shuangqing has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers, and there is no need to go to the gas station for a month of daily use, and there is no anxiety about charging and replenishing energy at all. Moreover, fuel consumption is as low as 4 per 100 km2 liters, the cost of use is about 30% lower than that of fuel vehicles of the same level. Second, I am not afraid of the cold. GAC Toyota's intelligent electric hybrid dual engine is equipped with an intelligent temperature control system, which can always maintain stable vehicle performance, even if it is dozens of degrees below zero, it can be normal and practical, and the battery life is not discounted, which solves the problem of low temperature range discount for electric vehicles in the northern region. Three, not afraid of fast. The motor power of the ninth-generation Camry Shuangqing has been increased by 14%, and the acceleration to 100 kilometers has entered the 7 second range. Its 2The power of the 0L dual engine is more than 20T turbo - it can be said that the acceleration feeling of driving Shuangqing is comparable to that of a pure electric car. 
For now, the intelligent electric hybrid dual engine is the best upgrade alternative for fuel vehicles, which can take into account the advantages of fuel vehicles and electric vehicles, and is worth promoting. Some industry insiders think. This technological path is also being promoted at the national policy level. Last year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other seven departments jointly issued the "Work Plan for the Steady Growth of the Automotive Industry (2023-2024)", which encourages enterprises to be green and low-carbon-oriented, actively explore hybrid power, low-carbon fuel and other technical routes, and promote the steady development of the fuel vehicle market. Previously, the industry initiated a discussion: why is it difficult for the mid-to-high-end car market of about 200,000 yuan to be broken through by pure electric vehicles? Netizens have expressed their opinions. Now, the ninth-generation Camry has given its own answer, that is: to meet the comprehensive needs of mid-to-high-end sedan users for multiple purposes such as home and business, users can take what they need. From its debut at last year's Guangzhou Auto Show to its launch, the ninth-generation Camry has received 9,136 pre-sale orders, with the hybrid version accounting for 80%. Through the ninth-generation Camry, GAC Toyota has popularized the hybrid route, and will soon usher in a breakthrough in comprehensive hybridization. In the future, the intelligent electric hybrid engine will become the best model for the upgrade and advancement of fuel vehicles. 
What is a premium volume
I have bought 3 GAC Toyota cars at home, and it is definitely right to follow GAC Feng (Tian), the technology is guaranteed, and the quality is absolutely passable. Chang Li, the would-be owner of the ninth-generation Camry, told Bangning Studio. He said that the current car products are basically good, low and rich. If you look at it this way, it doesn't seem that the joint venture car has many advantages, but it has quality - this invisible thing needs to be tested for a long time, and it takes time to settle before you can feel it. The ninth-generation Camry has a show car in Beijing. He deliberately compared the previous generation Camry and found that the ninth generation had many upgrades, especially in terms of intelligence. "If you only value intelligence when choosing a car, Huawei Wenjie, Xiaopeng and other brands must be fine, but if you take into account others, the most ** Camry is also one of the good choices, and its intelligence is enough. After the experience, Chang Li said, **Camry car machine response speed, voice control is very good. The ninth-generation Camry has upgraded 10 core product capabilities in terms of appearance, power, intelligence, space, and configuration. Especially in terms of intelligence, in response to the needs of Chinese consumers, GAC Toyota's localization team led the development to achieve qualitative improvement. 
In terms of intelligent cockpit, it is equipped with 8155 chips, has 12GB of running memory, increases computing power by more than 4 times, increases response speed by 8 times, and leaves 40% computing power redundancy for OTA. It has also worked with Huawei to develop an AI voice assistant to make communication more natural and smooth. 12.The 3-inch narrow-sided hovering machine doesn't look as big as some of its competitors, but it's more practical overall. In order to provide the driver with a safer and wider field of vision, the cockpit of the new car adopts three-screen interconnection, equipped with an AR-style HUD head-up display, and 3D images provide intuitive driving information guidance. At the same time, the digital key can easily control the remote vehicle, and the car machine is interconnected with the three major mobile phone systems such as Apple, Android, and Hongmeng. After docking with Huawei Hi-Link, it can also link with a large number of smart home ecosystems. In terms of intelligent driving, although the ninth-generation Camry does not have a NOA (high-end intelligent assisted driving), it has achieved the ultimate in active safety functions. The new-generation T-Pilot intelligent driving assistance system is more mature and reliable, aiming for error-free intelligent driving assistance and relying on the world's more than 20 billion kilometers of intelligent driving "zero accident" data. The T-Pilot intelligent driver assistance system provides 18 functions, including automatic lane change and emergency steering, as well as preventing "ghost probes" and "door openings", and providing emergency stop assistance when the driver is abnormal. "The pre-collision system uses a three-stage deceleration – alarm, slow braking, and re-braking – which is better than many new forces. A reviewer who has experienced the feature said. 
He said that the biggest improvement of the ninth-generation Camry is in places that cannot be seen by the naked eye, and needs to be felt firsthand. For example, the quietness of the previous generation of products, which was criticized, has been improved by leaps and bounds this time. Bangning Studio learned that the ninth-generation Camry has as many as 37 quietness upgrades, including 19 new materials, 11 upgraded materials, and 7 optimized designs. Another example is the driving experience. Toyota's models born on the TNGA-K platform have a reputation for performance, and the ninth-generation Camry further strengthens the chassis advantages - equipped with luxury car-grade oscillating valve shock absorbers, throttle response, steering precision and braking performance are finely tuned. These are optimizations that can only be clearly felt when you see them or drive them. What reassures users more is the "original quality of Dachang". As the world's largest automaker, Toyota sells about 10 million vehicles annually, sells more than 20 million hybrid products worldwide, and GAC Toyota has an intelligent mileage of more than 20 billion kilometers......These huge data improve the guarantee for quality control. GAC Toyota, which occupies the top position in the sales of joint venture vehicles, has inherited Toyota's high QDR (high quality, high durability, high reliability) gene, and has opened up the synchronous development and management of the whole process from product design, parts to vehicle manufacturing, and ensured quality control in mass production. 
As prospective users often say, this kind of trustworthy quality takes time to precipitate, and not all brands have it. In the involuted Chinese auto market, it is no surprise that there are visible and piled up configurations, but what is really worth considering is whether those invisible things, such as quality, are consistent? The first-class battle won by reducing prices without a bottom line is the lowest level of competition. Only when the value continues to evolve is it a truly high-level volume. 
The values that the new head of the joint venture should have
From the launch of the ninth-generation Camry, we can see some thoughts of GAC Toyota, and its exemplary role is worth pondering. First of all, the ninth-generation Camry advocates that car manufacturing should return to safety, reliability and durability. It is a high-quality mid-to-high-end sedan in the era of new quality productivity, focusing on intelligent electric hybrid dual engines, which not only follows the requirements of low-carbon industry transformation, but also meets the actual needs of users, and advocates the industry to return to the essence of car manufacturing, always putting safety, reliability and durability in the first place. 
This is also the common voice of most people in the industry, who hope that car companies will pay more attention to the changes in users and usage scenarios. "It is necessary to start from the real user needs and real use scenarios, and use technological innovation to break through the traditional boundaries and create new needs. A senior automotive expert said. Secondly, the ninth-generation Camry has created a sample for the upgrading and transformation of fuel vehicles. The transformation and upgrading of the automobile industry is deepening day by day. For joint venture brands with fuel vehicles as the core sales, the biggest issue at present is how to transform the first-mover advantage in the fuel era into a market advantage in the new era. The ninth-generation Camry has successfully achieved intelligent electric hybrid dual engine and intelligent upgrade, which provides a reference for the upgrading and transformation of all fuel vehicles. In addition, the ninth-generation Camry brings inclusive value to consumers with excess value and power**. Since last year, the war in the automotive industry has intensified, breeding some chaos, disinformation, shoddy, secret allocation and other disorderly competition to disrupt the market. However, GAC Toyota is like a clear stream, insisting on rational and honest inclusive action to actively respond to the first war. On the premise of comprehensively improving product strength, ensuring quality, and balancing the interests of users, distributors, businessmen and other partners, the ninth-generation Camry brings consumers the benefit of "value dividend" with excess value and force, which not only achieves a win-win situation for all parties, but also promotes the healthy development of the industry. In recent years, with new quality productivity as the starting point, GAC Toyota has continued to leap. According to the data of the passenger association, according to the sales volume of the joint venture brand, GAC Toyota ranked eighth in 2020, improved to sixth in 2021, ranked fourth in 2022, and promoted to third in 2023.
Sales volume is only the appearance, and value evolution is the biggest driving force behind it. One, ** value products account for a high proportion. Last year, GAC Toyota's sales of models with a value of more than 200,000 yuan accounted for 446%, of which, the three flagships - Camry, Highlander and Sena accounted for 417%。Second, there are many popular models in the market segment. GAC Toyota has built a rich product matrix, covering three major categories such as sedans, SUVs, and MPVs, and has explosive models in different segments of the market. For example, compact SUVs have Fenglanda, mid-to-high-end sedans have Camry, high-end family MPVs have Sena, and mid-size SUVs have Veranda. Third, electrification foundation is good. By the end of last year, GAC Toyota's cumulative sales of HEV models exceeded 1 million units, and as a hybrid pioneer, its hybrid product sales proportion and market share are leading the industry.
GAC Toyota also integrates the resource advantages of Chinese and Japanese shareholders to promote the iteration of the management system and the transformation of intelligent electric vehicles, bringing GAC Toyota's version of the "China Plan" to the development of new quality productivity. On the ninth-generation Camry, which has just been launched, people have seen this "China plan" landed-while maintaining the original advantages, improving localized R&D capabilities, combining the characteristics of the Chinese market and the preferences of Chinese users, focusing on new quality productivity such as electrification and intelligence, and launching high-quality products that are more in line with user needs. 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of GAC Toyota's founding. This new joint venture car company will uphold the values of "honesty and innovation, rational innovation", take the ninth-generation Camry as a new starting point, develop new quality productivity, continue to pursue value evolution, and open a new chapter in the transformation of smart electricity.