Akio Toyoda: Japan is not lagging behind in pure electric vehicle technology
Recently, former Toyota Motor CEO Akio Toyoda said that "Japan is by no means lagging behind in terms of technological capabilities" regarding the leading pure electric vehicles (EVs) in the United States and China, while acknowledging that "[Japanese companies] are lagging behind in market share." Toyoda Akio has historically been not interested in the pure electric route, so Toyota has not played much in the field of new energy.
Toyota started as a loom, then transformed into the automotive industry, and now has won the global car sales championship for three consecutive years, and tens of millions of sales have made all car companies prohibitive. The unprecedentedly powerful Toyota actually has hidden worries, and the sales of electric vehicles are only 24,000 of the tens of millions of sales, which is less than the monthly sales of ideal, BYD, Tesla and so on.
As the electrification and intelligence of vehicles become the mainstream of the market, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles is constantly increasing, even old car companies such as GM, Mercedes-Benz, BMW Volkswagen and other old car companies are sparing no effort on the pure electric platform, but Toyota electric products are still stuck in the previous era, which is related to the concept that Toyoda Akio is not cold to electric vehicles.
Toyoda Akio has a unclear attitude towards electric vehicles, and even sways from side to side. Toyoda has said that electric vehicles are the focus now, but ultimately which form of drive will succeed will depend on consumers and the market. Toyota has a layout in the hybrid, pure electric and fuel cell fields, but chose to focus on hybrids and even bet on hydrogen fuel vehicles, thus missing out on the first-mover advantage of electric vehicles.
It's hard for elephants to turn around. Toyota is not opposed to pure electric vehicles, but has chosen a route that it considers optimal. Akio Toyoda later publicly said that "electric vehicles are not environmentally friendly, capital is overly hyped", and also said that "the automotive industry is too hasty to transform electric vehicles, and the business model of the automotive industry will collapse". Recently, Akio Toyoda even issued a confident statement that "Toyota fuel vehicles can be used for 40 years".
From doubting to wavering, Toyota lost the opportunity, so it is difficult to say advanced in the research and development of pure electric technology, even in the Chinese market with BYD to develop new cars, several new cars jointly developed, most of them are unknown, in the pure electric car market has not turned over a little splash. Even in the hybrid market, Toyota's dual-engine hybrid has encountered unprecedented pressure, and China's own brands have fully entered the hybrid field, resulting in Toyota's market share being continuously compressed.
Akio Toyoda once said: I feel that I can no longer keep up with the new era, and it is necessary to choose to retire. If there is a problem with the development direction of an enterprise, no matter how hard it is, it is futile. Therefore, if you want to do a good job in the matter of electric vehicles, the first thing is to adjust personnel. In April this year, Akio Toyoda officially stepped down as president and CEO of Toyota Group, and Lexus President Koji Sato took over.
Toyota's personnel change indicates a significant change in its attitude towards pure electric vehicles. Toyota plans to produce more than 600,000 BEVs worldwide by 2025, 1.5 million BEVs per year by 2026 and 3.5 million EVs per year by 2030.
At the same time, Toyota's largest R&D base in China, Toyota Motor R&D Center (China) Co., Ltd., has officially changed its name to Toyota Intelligent Electric Vehicle R&D Center (China) Co., Ltd. on August 1. Engineers from the R&D centers of Toyota's three joint ventures in China (FAW Toyota, GAC Toyota, BYD Toyota Electric Vehicle Technology) will join the R&D project.
It is undeniable that Toyota is at the forefront of fuel vehicle technology, even claiming that it can be used for 40 years, but in the research and development of pure electric vehicles, it has never grasped the needs of consumers, so its market share has decreased. In terms of electrification, Toyota can cooperate with CATL or cooperate with LG to develop the market, but in terms of intelligence, its shortcomings have been short, which can be seen from its emphasis on China's localized research and development.
You can never wake up a person who pretends to be asleep unless that pretend to sleep decides to wake up on his own. Toyota cannot indulge in the glory and glory of the past, but must correct the wrong route in time and return to the mainstream of the automobile market in order to stand at the head of the tide.