Tokyo Motor Show, China Losers Alliance?
Written by / Windsor
Editor / Zhang Nan
Design / Zhao Haoran
"The automotive industry is experiencing major changes unseen in a century, how is Nissan prepared to respond?" A Chinese reporter asked during Nissan's interview room at the Tokyo Motor Show on October 25, 2023.
"Are you asking about global changes or changes in China?" Nissan President and CEO Makoto Uchida blurted out. Obviously, in the palm of the overseas auto giants, China and the world have been divided and ruled.
According to the International Energy Agency, electric vehicles account for less than 5% in Japan, and just under 10% in the United States, where Tesla dominates. In China, nearly one-fifth of new cars are electric.
Makoto Uchida quickly reacted, "In the Chinese market, what has been done so far is definitely not possible, not only us, but also other companies. ”
History is always full of coincidences. The day before the opening of the Tokyo Motor Show, the GAC Group announced that the board of directors approved the equity adjustment of GAC Mitsubishi, and after the completion of the restructuring, GAC Mitsubishi will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of GAC, and GAC AION will use GAC-Mitsubishi plant to increase production and expand capacity.
Another Japanese car company temporarily left China.
On September 4, 2018, Changan Automobile acquired a 50% stake in Changan Suzuki held by a Japanese company for 1 yuan in cash, and Changan Suzuki became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Changan Automobile, and Japan Suzuki completely withdrew from the Chinese market.
Before the end of 2023, Changan Mazda played the killer card of price reduction, and the 2023 Unxela allowed the joint venture Japanese brand A+ class sedan to enter the 80,000 yuan range for the first time, and finally returned to the life and death line of monthly sales of 10,000 units in September. Mazda has worked hard enough, but people are still speculating whether it will be it next to leave.
In 2022, Subaru sold 11,000 units in the Chinese market, which is almost negligible. On June 23, Daqiao Auto Trading Group Co., Ltd. announced that Subaru became a wholly-owned controlling shareholder, and the type of enterprise was changed from a limited liability company (Sino-foreign joint venture) to a limited liability company (wholly foreign-owned by a foreign legal person).
In the main exhibition hall of the Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki, and Mitsubishi still occupy a huge territory, surrounded by global reporters three floors inside and outside, a prosperous world. But in China, either strong men break their wrists or are in danger.
On the other hand, the three giants of Nissan, Toyota and Honda are also facing challenges in China. As the hope of the whole village, Lexus is no longer the same as it used to be, and in the first three quarters of this year, Lexus' cumulative sales in the Chinese market fell by about 13% year-on-year.
During the century-old period of change in the industry, Japanese car companies need to change. Akio Toyoda, the former president of Toyota, who was once vocal in opposing the rapid electrification process, has also changed his words, and one of his current identities is the chairman of the Japan Association of Automobile Manufacturers and happens to be the organizer of the exhibition. In September, talking about the original intention of the show, he said, "Japan is the birthplace of excellent technology, and we want to convey Japan's vision of the future to the world. ”
Under the call of Japanese automobile icons, with this Tokyo Motor Show as the clarion call, Japanese car companies kicked off the counteroffensive.
At the moment when it had to change, the Japanese cars collectively counterattacked
This is a time of trafficking anxiety.
In the first half of 2023, China's vehicle exports were 2.341 million units, up 76.9% y/y. At the same time, Japanese vehicle exports were 2.02 million units, up 17% y/y. So far, China's semi-annual automobile exports surpassed Japan's for the first time, ranking first in the world.
This is reminiscent of what happened in Japan in the 80s of the 20th century, when they began to export cars in large quantities around the world.
On September 23, with the first batch of Odyssey loaded and shipped at Xinsha Port Terminal in Dongguan, the Odyssey produced by Guangqi Honda was officially exported to the Japanese market for reverse sale.
Cars have always been the pearl of industry, and Japan, which is famous for its craftsmanship, began to accept "Made in China" automobile products, which is a new beginning.
In 2020, the market share of Japanese cars was 24.1%, and for every four vehicles sold in the Chinese market, there was one Japanese car. According to data from the Passenger Association, in September 2023, the market share of Japanese brands continued to decline to 16.6%.
Overnight, Japanese cars suddenly fell silent in China. In 2023, Tesla's price war has made Chinese manufacturers miserable, and unexpectedly and reasonably, Japan has become the biggest loser in this war. When new energy vehicles become cheaper and cheaper, the advantages of fuel-efficient, durable and cost-effective Japanese cars are gone.
Transformation is imminent, and the Japanese have changed their procrastinating style and embraced electrification with an open mind.
"We appreciate electric vehicles." At the Tokyo Motor Show, Takero Kato, Toyota's new president of the electric vehicle division, emphasized his love for electric vehicles, twice.
At this auto show, Toyota brought the Toyota FT-3E concept car, the Toyota EPU electric pickup concept car, and the pure electric version of the Toyota Land Cooluzer concept car, showing its thinking about the future. Lexus brought the electric sedan LF-ZC, as well as the future flagship SUV LF-ZL.
Toyota Motor President Tsuneji Sato said, "We are producing electric vehicles like real automakers. "The implication is that Toyota is serious about electric vehicles.
Nissan was one of the first manufacturers in Japan to deploy electrification, and in 2010, the Nissan Leaf was launched. At this year's auto show, Nissan released a series of electrified products in one go, not only unveiling the new Hyper Force pure electric concept car, Hyper Punk concept car and Hyper Tourer concept car, but also sharing more information about the Hyper Adventure concept car and Hyper Urban concept car.
"After sinking into the depths of the ocean, we barely surfaced." In September 2021, Makoto Uchida expressed such feelings.
The Nissan head, who took office in 2019, was ordered to catch up with the chip crisis, walked through the new crown epidemic, and now seems to finally be able to go ashore to breathe. At the Tokyo Motor Show, Makoto Uchida revealed that Nissan is working with Dongfeng to develop electric vehicles and launch products that are more suitable for the Chinese market, and the details will be announced in November.
In the design of this year's booth, the least serious is Honda. Honda President Toshihiro Mibe said, "My dream is to realize a world where mobile products with the Honda logo can travel to every corner, on the ground, sea, in the sky, and in outer space, so that people can enjoy true freedom of movement." "At the Honda booth, you need to walk through a three-flying aircraft to see the latest Prelude Concept.
Beyond the Big Three. Mitsubishi announced a teaser for a new concept car, a crossover MPV with an off-road style; Suzuki brings the new Speedwing Concept, eWX Concept and eVX Concept; Subaru's SPORT MOBILITY all-electric concept is amazing...
It's just that these have little to do with the Chinese market for the time being.
The Tokyo Motor Show changed its name and the local background remained unchanged
"Chinese consumers are demanding a faster automotive transformation than other regions... The changes are so fast that our findings can't keep up. A vice president of Nissan sighed.
Faster than the Japanese automakers are changing at the Tokyo Motor Show.
This exhibition, which began in 1954, chronicles Japan's illustrious automotive history, working hard for nearly 70 years, with only two interruptions, the international energy crisis in 1974 and the coronavirus pandemic in 2021. In other words, it has been four years since the last Tokyo Motor Show.
It survived natural disasters, but could not avoid "man-made disasters". Four years to the east of the river, four years to the west of the river, as Japanese cars are in a difficult transition situation, the Tokyo Motor Show has ceased to exist. From this year, the Tokyo International Motor Show has been renamed the "Japan Mobility Show", greatly increasing the number of exhibits for industries other than automobiles and start-ups.
The Detroit Auto Show is no longer beautiful, the Geneva Motor Show is lacking, the Frankfurt Auto Show has changed its vest... The appeal of traditional auto shows is declining, and the Tokyo Motor Show is no exception. In 1991, the number of people at the Tokyo Motor Show peaked at 2 million, and in 2017 it plummeted to 770,000. Four years ago, only 192 companies participated, but this edition the number of exhibitors reached 475.
"Compared to China, the United States and Asia, Japan's global competitiveness is declining, and there is a sense of crisis among exhibitors." Jun Nagata, Toyota's chief communications officer and chairman of the exhibition committee, said, "They see the potential of liquidity as an engine of growth. ”
The boundaries of the auto show are expanding infinitely, and futuristic vehicles such as software, batteries, delivery robots, manned quadruped robots, autonomous delivery robots, and flying cars are included in the mobility exhibition basket, and images imagining the future of Tokyo life are projected on a large screen in the exhibition hall.
There is also a strong Japanese touch, with a dedicated "Emergency and Mobile" section dedicated to discussing transport solutions after natural disasters, showcasing robots, drones and self-propelled stretchers.
To highlight the apocalyptic sense, the organizers collaborated with the movie Godzilla. "There have been many natural disasters in Japan, and people's lives and towns have been destroyed." Jun Nagata, one of the leaders of the organizing committee, said, "This year's global warming is like Godzilla coming to the city. ”
In a sense, Mobility Japan 2023 is more like a local carnival. Unlike the global participation of China's Kitakamihiro Motor Show, foreign car brands have little interest in exhibiting because it is not easy for them to enter Japan. Ford and Chevrolet have been absent from many worlds, and the only three foreign automakers on the venue are BYD from China, and Mercedes-Benz and BMW from Germany.
As China's first car brand to appear in Tokyo, BYD is somewhat unsatisfied. China is big for its beauty, and Japanese consumers prefer small cars. In the small exhibition hall, the price is millions, and in China, it is said that the order has exceeded 30,000, and the U8 is not interested, and it is no longer the grand queue at the Shanghai Auto Show. On the contrary, basic models such as seals and dolphins have attracted some attention.
BYD has received orders for 1,300 units since entering the Japanese passenger car market in 2023 and plans to expand this number to 2,000 units by the end of the year.
Mercedes-Benz and BMW have brought new electrification products, the new BMW iX2 is officially unveiled, the new car will be put into production at the Regensburg plant in Germany, and belongs to the same production line as the BMW X1. Only 50 BMW iX5 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the world have also been shipped to Japan, and in the years of entangled electrification, the Japanese government also has high hopes for hydrogen energy.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled the Concept EQG, an electric version of the Big G, in Tokyo; and the AMG C 63 SE Performance, a powerful hybrid high-performance car that accelerates to zero 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds.
In the automotive stage for a hundred years, Mercedes-Benz BMW's booth layout is very exquisite, new energy and fuel vehicles compete with each other, even the number of exhibition vehicles are aligned, a delicate sense of balance is like the true portrayal of the current car market. But around them, judging from the determination of Japanese car companies, the day when the balance is broken may not be far away.