Red Star Capital Bureau reported on June 24 that Toyota Motor Corporation announced a global recall of 2,700 pure electric SUV bZ4Xs due to the discovery of bolt problems connecting the wheels that could cause tires to fall off.
The bZ4X is Toyota's first mass-produced pure electric vehicle, which was launched in Japan, Europe and the United States two months ago, and has not yet been listed in the Chinese market. It is worth mentioning that the GAC Toyota bZ4X listing conference, which was originally scheduled to be held on June 17, "retreated" two hours before the start.
At that time, Toyota's official explanation was: "Recently, there has been uncertainty in the supply chain, and in order to ensure the interests of users, the price release has been postponed, and a more consumer-friendly price is being formulated." ”
A number of industry insiders told Red Star Capital that Toyota's explanation was somewhat far-fetched. GAC Toyota's "ticket jump" and the global recall have reduced the reliability expectations of the bZ4X, and the unfavorable division has cast a shadow on Toyota's road to accelerated electrification transformation.
On April 19, 2021, toyota motor booth at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, Toyota's new pure electric SUV bZ4X was launched in the world. Image according to Visual China
A global emergency recall that does not involve the Chinese market
The bZ4X is Toyota's first all-electric vehicle built from scratch, based on the latest e-TNGA pure electric architecture development, is the first model of Toyota's pure electric bZ series.
However, more than two months after its launch in Japan, Europe and the United States, the bZ4X was urgently recalled worldwide due to the risk of tire shedding.
On June 24, Toyota announced a global recall of the 2023 bZ4X model due to the possibility that the hub bolts on the wheels may loosen while driving, causing the entire wheel to fall off. Toyota said the cause of the loose wheel bolts is still under investigation, warning owners not to drive vehicles until the hidden danger is resolved.
The recall involved a total of 2,700 bZ4Xs, of which 2,200 were sold to Europe, 280 to North America, 20 to Canada, 110 to Japan and 60 to the rest of Asia.
A Toyota spokesperson said all the cars recalled in Japan had not yet been delivered to consumers and were only used for test drives and demonstrations. For safety reasons, KINTO, a subsidiary that provides rental services to Toyota, has also canceled promotional test drives held in three cities in Japan.
Previously, Toyota China's official website released the "Reply on The Recent Overseas Recall Related Consultation", which clarified that "the bZ4X model has not yet started production and sales in Chinese mainland, so the recall does not involve the Chinese market". However, the reply cannot be found on toyota China's official website at present.
GAC Toyota launched a "skip ticket" and put a question mark on reliability
Before the global recall, GAC Toyota bZ4X, which was scheduled to be launched on June 17, suddenly pressed the pause button two hours after a 14-hour warm-up in the official micro-live broadcast room.
In the eyes of many people, bZ4X is a "jump ticket". However, GAC Toyota said that it only canceled the price announcement link, and users can order cars normally.
On June 25, GAC Toyota customer service told Red Star Capital Bureau, "At present, the listing time and price of bZ4X have not been announced, please pay attention to our official website and mini program." ”
Why did bZ4X suddenly "jump tickets"? The official explanation was: "Recently there has been uncertainty in the supply chain, in order to ensure the interests of users, the price release has been postponed, and a more consumer-friendly price is being formulated." ”
However, in the eyes of many people, this explanation is quite far-fetched.
GAC Toyota bZ4X opened pre-sale in April this year, and the pre-sale price was 220,000-300,000 yuan. According to the news released by GAC Group, the bZ4X is produced at GAC Toyota's latest new energy exclusive plant and is expected to be officially put into operation at the end of June.
"The domestic pre-sale price of bZ4X is already lower than the price in overseas markets." Some insiders told the Red Star Capital Bureau, "It is difficult to understand that the cancellation of the press conference is simply because of the price adjustment." ”
Some insiders told Red Star Capital Bureau, "Toyota's statement is that the price of chips fluctuates greatly, and the price should be considered comprehensively." In addition, it is impossible to give an accurate time to market. Are the supply chains of top car companies so unstable? Do parts prices still need to go with the market? So should other models also give a more friendly price? ”
On the afternoon of June 17, a car reviewer posted, "Toyota found in recent tests that its battery management system will be wrong in the cold environment, resulting in the inability to charge." But GAC Toyota denied a battery problem.
According to foreign media reports, the bZ4X four-wheel drive version cannot enable fast charging at 0 °C. Toyota Overseas has made a statement: "Four-wheel drive models below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the charging speed may be slower than other models, and may not be able to charge when the temperature drops to about -4 degrees Fahrenheit and below." Through our tests, we determined that the two-wheel drive model can be charged when the temperature drops to -4 degrees Fahrenheit or below. ”
However, the battery supplier of the bZ4X domestic model is CATL and is produced in Toyota's exclusive production line; The overseas version of the battery pack is provided by toyota and Panasonic joint ventures. "Therefore, it is impossible to determine whether the domestic bZ4X will have the same problem." The above-mentioned car reviewer said, "Whether it is a problem with Sandian or the official supply chain uncertainty, the 'reliability' label attached to the bZ4X must be marked with a question mark." ”
Electrification progressed slowly, and the defeat in the first battle added to the shadow
The search of Red Star Capital Bureau found that many car companies have been recalled due to bolt problems. Recently, GM recalled Cadillac and GMC, Maserati recalled Levant, Volvo recalled trucks, and Mercedes-Benz recalled Mercedes-Benz C.
This seemingly simple hardware problem has made Toyota a big enemy, perhaps because the bZ4X is Toyota's first truly global mass-produced pure electric model. The global recall, two months after its launch, cast a shadow over Toyota's electrification transformation.
Toyota plans to launch 30 electric vehicles by 2030, with global sales of 3.5 million. To achieve this goal, Toyota has invested 2 trillion yen in battery research and development.
However, Toyota's electrification has been slow, and it has recently been attacked by large European pension funds, triggering a decline in the company's stock price.
Toyota has clearly focused its efforts on hybrid models. A few days ago, Toyota Motor President Akio Toyoda lobbied the Japanese government to ask the government to express its clear support for hybrid vehicles.
According to the data, from January to April this year, Toyota's global sales of new energy vehicles were about 950,000, of which hybrid vehicles accounted for more than 95%, and the sales of pure electric models were only 4960, accounting for less than 1%.
Japanese car companies are more conservative about electrification, and only began to exert efforts in the Chinese market some time ago, and the layout has lagged behind. In the sales ranking of new energy passenger cars of the Association, the Japanese system cannot be seen.
Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the Association, once said that although Japanese brands are catching up with the wave of electrification, they are also generally facing the problems of insufficient experience accumulation and weak industrial chain.
In the face of Chinese consumers who have been appetized by the "new forces of car-making", Toyota plunged headlong into the most fiercely competitive range of 200,000-300,000 yuan, facing both the Volkswagen ID family and Audi Q4e-tron, which are also joint ventures, and GAC E-An and BYD, which are sold in China, and its first product, bZ4X, is decent, in addition to solar charging, lack of highlights.
Some insiders told Red Star Capital Bureau, "In addition to the Toyota brand, the product strength of bZ4X is like that." If you want to break through the crowd of competitors, you must either engage in some marketing gimmicks or take the cost-effective route. He proposed, "If the bZ4X is really priced at 200,000-300,000 yuan, the prospects may not be very optimistic." ”
Red Star News reporter Wu Danruo
Responsible editor Ren Zhijiang
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