Honestly, I have no illusions about driving Toyota's urban SUVs and family cars on the ice and snow field. After all, most consumers don't buy these models because of handling. However, on the last day of 2021, when I followed Huanqiu Automobile to Changchun and participated in an "ice and snow test drive" of TNGA products, my cognition began to change.
On that day, the real-time temperature of the Xingxian Reservoir, located at 126°04′ east longitude and 43°40′ north latitude, had reached minus 15 degrees Celsius. For a long time, the Xingxing sentinel reservoir has been loved by people for its rich water conservancy resources and superior geographical location, and the xingxing whistle reservoir under the cold winter moon is the driving paradise of "auto people". Here, GAC Toyota is given a different meaning.
The event was organized by Huanqiu Auto, a well-known media in the automotive industry. The entire test driving site is divided into three major areas - the test drive area, the competitive test drive area, and the drift stunt display area, including the starting straight line acceleration, S-shaped pile winding, U-shaped bend, "8" shaped pile winding, low-speed cornering, in-car noise, bumpy road surface, emergency braking and other items, respectively, from the dynamic, control, quiet and other dimensions of the full range of GAC Toyota TNGA models were tested. The full addition of competing vehicles greatly increases the fun of test drives.
Extremely cold and complex ice and snow areas have always been an excellent "testing ground" for testing cars, as a technical explanation of the teacher Shen Zhiwei said: "Only in such an extreme environment can we truly show the performance of a car." The significance of corporate car manufacturing is to meet the diversified car needs of consumers, not just to stay in the cradle of the city. ”
In the face of complex ice and snow tracks, GAC Toyota's full range of TNGA models can be described as a perfect "out of the circle".
Behind gaGA Toyota's product strength is the empowerment of the TNGA architecture. For a long time, the TNGA architecture has been a popular incubator for consumers to be "cool + driving fun + safety + intelligence + electrification". So far, GAC Toyota has built seven volume models based on this architecture, bringing consumers a different car experience with its different coolness, different driving fun, different safety, and different intelligence.
Equipped with the TNGA architecture, it has all-round improvement for driving. Specific performance is the following aspects: the layout of the low center of gravity can improve the stability of the vehicle, creating a different driving interest than before; through the opening of the ring skeleton structure, control the body distortion phenomenon, to achieve excellent control stability, and the use of laser spiral welding, ring structure and other technologies to improve the overall rigidity of the body; sports car grade double wishbone independent rear suspension, optimize the suspension arm, shock absorber and longitudinal arm position, improve the stability and comfort of the body to achieve natural and accurate control ACA active steering assist system improves vehicle handling and vehicle steering performance while achieving car heartbeat; high-precision rack and pinion electric power steering system Steering is light, driving precision and fast response. This results in better vehicle handling and smoother and safer driving, even in the face of extreme weather conditions.
Similarly, in terms of hybrid power, GAC Toyota has shown good reliability and handling. The new fourth-generation THS II hybrid system is 41% thermally efficient in the world, with greater power and higher efficiency, a tank of oil can travel 1,000 kilometers, and can withstand the test of extreme cold and extreme heat. This also made the Camry, Veranda and Leiling in this test drive event, and the power and handling were comfortable. Toyota has realized HEV+EV in PHEV plug-in hybrid dual engine power technology. With the motor and engine at the same time, seamless connection, giving stronger power, to achieve 1152km of ultra-long endurance. Whether it is from the snow to the city or the vast desert, it gives people a sense of driving pleasure.
So far, the cumulative sales of TNGA models in three years have reached 1.6 million units; the cumulative number of car owners and users has reached 6 million+ people; in 2021, sales exceeded 800,000 units for the first time, and TNGA model sales accounted for more than 70%. At the same time, the cumulative sales of GAC Toyota TNGA Dual Engine Hybrid Family have exceeded 500,000, and have become the best-selling hybrid brand in 2021.
This achievement is due to TNGA's strong product strength, especially the revolution in the TNGA architecture in the field of driving pleasure. Full Engine Power: TNGA architecture comprehensively innovates the powertrain of All-Engine to achieve a balance of stronger power and lower fuel consumption; new texture driving control: In terms of control performance, TNGA directly improves from the source to create a higher driving texture and driving control stability; The whole series of quiet experience: excellent NVH performance, so that the vehicle maintains a quieter driving environment; comprehensive intelligent interaction: In the new era of intelligent interconnection, the models under the TNGA architecture have an intelligent driving experience that does not lose the new forces of car manufacturing. It not only focuses on the entertainment functions of human-computer interaction, but also pays more attention to "safety and security".
At this point, the two-day "Vertical Driving Ice and Snow, Competition for Heaven and Earth" - GAC Toyota TNGA Driving Fun Experience Camp has also officially ended. All along, GAC Toyota has been at the forefront of the automotive industry. Looking forward to the future, in 2022, GAC Toyota will implement three strategic actions of "high-end products", "all-round electrification" and "service management technology" to impact the annual production and sales target of 1 million units.