It is said that it is difficult for elephants to turn around, but as long as the elephant moves, the entire industry must also shake.
On December 14, 2021, Akio Toyoda, who has always been low-key, also released 16 pure electric vehicles in one go, including toyota and Lexus brands, covering cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, sports cars and other categories of models.
This is Toyota's determination to electrify, which can be described as a surprise.
On April 28, 2022, GAC Toyota's new pure electric SUV model bZ4X officially opened pre-sale, with a pre-price of 220,000-300,000 yuan after comprehensive subsidies. This is the first arrow that Toyota really shoots in the field of pure electricity.
In 1997, the world's first mass-produced HEV model was launched, and after 25 years of electrification, Toyota finally launched a truly pure electric model in 2022. "Get up early, catch a late set", this is what many people say about Toyota's electrification.
But in fact, Toyota's electrification process is much faster than people think.
Gac Motor Toyota bZ4X, which is based on the e-TNGA architecture, will be produced at a new new energy plant. The plant, also built for the e-TNGA architecture model, has already started construction as early as 2020.
The soldiers and horses have not moved, and the grain and grass have gone first, which is the style of traditional car companies. So it wasn't until the end of 2021 that Toyota "generously" announced its electrification strategy.
The earlier planned e-TNGA architecture is the core of Toyota's electrification transformation, and it is even more underpinning. But for this architecture, there are always some doubtful voices that come out, saying that it is not pure enough, saying that it is "oil to electricity".
"Once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of the well rope", there will be such a statement, all because they were deeply persecuted by the inferior electric vehicles in the early days.
Today, the boundary between "oil to electricity" and "pure electric platform" has become more and more blurred. Judging a pure electric vehicle should not be determined by the platform, let alone the history of its fuel vehicles, but should be experience-oriented.
Like Tesla, it never advertised itself as a pure electric platform, but people never doubted whether it was a pure electric platform.
In terms of GAC Toyota bZ4X, the length is 4690mm, the wheelbase is 2850mm, and the wheelbase length ratio is large enough that more batteries can be accommodated in the middle, even compared to the Tesla Model Y.
In terms of endurance, the 72.8kWh battery pack can provide a cruising range of up to 615km under CLTC conditions. In terms of structure, the all-round collision response structure can better protect battery safety.
Endurance, power consumption, battery safety, etc., the life gate of these pure electric vehicles, it has to take care of. So, would you still say that the e-TNGA architecture is a simple "oil to electricity"?
In this architecture, the distance between the front drive motor and the firewall is fixed, the width of the battery pack is fixed, and the mounting position of the rear drive motor is fixed. There are quantitative and variable, modular architectures of the electrical age, and this is e-TNGA.
And when we look at gac Toyota bZ4X, it has three unique innovation points. One is the battery capacity maintenance, GAC Toyota set a very high standard, 10 years later the battery capacity retention rate of 90%.
The second is solar charging technology, after the optional solar charging dome, GAC Toyota bZ4X can increase the cruising range of about 1750km per year. Just looking at the data may be better than nothing, but as a pioneer, its significance is to promote the progress of the industry.
The third is steer-by-wire technology, which Toyota calls the One Motion Grip, which can be fully played at 150 ° on one side, which is absolutely industry-leading. However, it is a little regrettable that due to regulatory reasons, the domestic bZ4X is not equipped at this stage, fortunately, GAC Toyota is working hard to actively explore its introduction into the Chinese market.
"Get up early, catch a late set", this sentence can describe Toyota's electrification process, but after all, it has accumulated deep technology, as long as it catches up, it will not be very bad.
Of course, there must be people who disagree with such a view. Because a pure electric vehicle should have the design, power, and intelligence, Toyota bZ4X does not account for one.
The maximum power of the single motor version is 150kW, and the dual motor version is only 160kW, which is a complete grocery shopping car in the eyes of some people. In the era of electrification, where power acquisition is like picking up the ground, Toyota's choice really seems out of place.
The size of the screen is not large, the buttons are still retained, and today, when the dual screen and even the triple screen are popular, many people feel that Toyota cannot keep up with the rhythm.
But let me ask, is the powerful power and exaggerated screen size really suitable for everyone? It's not, at least, that it's not for Toyota's target users. And Toyota can't do that level? No, just, not necessarily.
Because those so-called standards are only shaped by Tesla and many new car-making forces, perhaps the trend, but it is not suitable for Toyota and not for everyone.
Enough power is good, I give you an X-MODE four-wheel drive system, road and off-road two mistakes; the large screen is moderate, I will give you some commonly used buttons, blending practicality and modern design.
Toyota is still that Toyota, calm and pragmatic. It will not shout slogans, like Tesla emphasizes "we want to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy"; it will not draw a pie, like a new force, the product has not landed on the ground to write countless PPT.
In the era of fuel vehicles, isn't this the secret of Toyota's sales fire? Compared with strength, no one can "compare", but than sales, no one can compare.
In fiscal 2021, Toyota sold a total of 9.51 million new vehicles worldwide, an increase of 4.7% year-on-year, and in China, Toyota's sales also reached 1.944 million units, an increase of 8.2% year-on-year, which has increased for nine consecutive years. Among them, GAC Toyota's sales volume in 2021 will reach 840,000 units, an increase of 11% year-on-year.
Entering the era of electrification, Toyota still maintains its own rhythm and strives to consolidate the original user group, rather than blindly following the trend and plunging itself into unnecessary competition with new forces.
In terms of marketing, GAC Toyota will also adopt a new sales model and practice user operations. Through gagac Toyota bZ mini program directly to the manufacturer, the car purchase experience is more convenient, the previously widely criticized "mark-up" behavior will be eliminated; build "online + offline" digital operation, create user exchange and co-creation community, user experience is better.
At the same time, GAC Toyota will not give up its existing sales channels. Because in the whole country, it has more than 600 dealers, which is a volume that no new force has.
Change and change, this is Toyota's answer in the era of electrification, maintaining advantages and improving deficiencies. When the elephant finally turns around, maybe the whole industry has to follow suit.