Daisuke Kondo: "Pessimism" envelops the Japanese auto industry

Semiconductors, TVs, computers, mobile phones... Once upon a time, these products made by Japanese manufacturers swept the global market, and the industry recognized "Japan as No. 1" (made in Japan is second to none). However, after entering the 21st century, Japanese manufacturing has been gradually declining, and today, many "Japan Brands" have long disappeared.

At present, the automobile manufacturing industry, which is known as the "last bastion" of Japanese technology, has begun to have a similar situation.

Japan's Toyota, Nissan, and Honda Motor Corporation are also called the "big three" in the field of fuel vehicles, and their position as the world hegemon is still unshakable. Among them, Toyota Motor Corporation is the largest company in Japan. Last year, the company sold 10.495 million vehicles worldwide, dominating the global auto sales charts for two consecutive years.

It is worth mentioning that toyota motor sold 2.332 million units in the United States last year, successfully surpassing General Motors and topping the list of U.S. car sales. In 1931, General Motors surpassed Ford to become the number one selling car brand in the United States, and has not been defeated for 90 consecutive years. Today, GM has to cede the title of "pin crown" to Toyota.

Last year, Nissan Renault sold 2.641 million units worldwide. In the era of Carlos Ghosn, Nissan and France's Renault joined forces and swept the entire European market.

Honda's total global sales last year were 4.136 million units. The company has absolute confidence in its engine technology. At the 2021 Formula One World Championship (F1) finale in the United Arab Emirates last December, Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Racing And Red Bull Racing, who have a deep partnership with Honda, won the first and third places respectively.

It is gratifying to see that the three major Japanese automobile manufacturers are still struggling in the global market. But despite this, in the Japanese auto industry, "pessimism" has risen and fallen.

As we all know, the global automotive industry is rapidly tilting from fuel vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs). However, compared with auto companies in other countries, the speed of the japanese auto "big three manufacturers" switching to electric vehicles is far behind. Last year, only 21,139 electric vehicles were sold in Japan.

In recent years, Chinese auto companies have also targeted the world market. Last year, BYD Motor Company sold 320,810 electric vehicles. COP26 (Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), held in Glasgow, England last fall, identified BYD electric vehicles as special official vehicles for conferences.

At the end of last year, Keihan Bus Company in Kyoto, Japan, officially put into use four BYD electric buses, the J6. The car costs about 30 percent of nissan's price for the same type, but it's even more expensive, much like when Japanese cars entered the U.S. market half a century ago. Today, the same situation is happening in the field of electric buses in Japan.

So, sooner or later, the "last bastion" of Japanese technology will collapse? In this increasing sense of crisis, Japanese manufacturers have launched new initiatives this year. For example, Sony has entered the field of electric vehicles. On January 4, at the CES Technology Exhibition in Las Vegas, USA, Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman and CEO of Sony Group, announced the establishment of a new company for the commercialization of electric vehicles, SONY MOBILITY.

"This spring, in order to enter the field of electric vehicles, our company established 'SONY MOBILITY'. It aims to launch an electric vehicle that combines sensor technology, cloud service technology, 5G technology, entertainment and content technology. Sony Group has been deeply involved in these areas, and with these technologies, we believe that Sony is in an advantageous position to redefine mobility. Affected by this news, Sony's stock price rose rapidly by 5% in one trading day.

Two months later, on March 4, Kenichiro Yoshida and Honda President and CEO Toshihiro Mibe jointly held a press conference. At the meeting, the two said: "Sony and Honda have reached a strategic alliance agreement to jointly usher in a new era of mobile technology and services in the future. Within this year, the two companies will jointly form a joint venture. It is expected to jointly develop and sell the first electric vehicle by 2025. ”

In fact, Sony founder Ino fukai dai and Honda founder Soichiro Honda are lifelong friends. Inobuchi calls the two-year-old Soichiro Honda "big brother." In his book My Friend Soichiro Honda, which he published, Inoue said:

"We both hate imitating others, so we suddenly set big goals to create something that has never been done before. We don't stick to the techniques and methods we already have, and we do our best to find what fits our goals — an approach that Mr. Honda and I have both used. Mr. Honda and I both have great pride in what we have made. It's not pride in the size of the company and making more money than others, but pride in your own skills and abilities. ”

The founders of both Sony and Honda dream of one day being able to work together. However, these two heroes Haojie did not fulfill their wishes in their lifetime. It's not until many years after their deaths that the company they founded finally went hand in hand. However, ironically, both companies decided to warm up because they could not see the future prospects. Honda, in particular, has a tendency that is particularly pronounced. After all, the future of the electric vehicle world does not need "the world's first engine technology".

Sony is developing image sensors capable of accurately capturing signs and objects 450 meters apart. In addition, in the field of gaming, Sony is developing artificial intelligence systems that drive cars at high speeds while ensuring that contact is avoided. It is said that Honda believes that sony's technologies will play a huge role in the future era of driverless cars, so it persuaded Sony to realize the cooperation between the two companies. Of course, for Sony, joining the huge automotive market is also a welcome thing.

And, after the era of driverless cars, the era of "flying cars" is coming. In this field, Sky Drive, founded in Aichi Prefecture in 2018 by former Toyota technical engineer Tomohiro Fukuzawa, is one of the leading groups in the world in terms of "flying car" technology, and has even been pinned on high hopes, saying that it "may become another 'Toyota' in the 21st century."

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