If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight. As a leader in the industry, Toyota is always under scrutiny at every step of the way.
The 2024 Beijing International Auto Show with the theme of "New Era, New Automobiles" officially kicked off today. At the critical moment of the restructuring of the global new energy vehicle industry chain, China's new energy vehicles are showing vigorous vitality, which is not only an ideal "fertile soil" for the innovation and development of local car companies, but also a new opportunity for the market to be nurtured for the new path of transformation of multinational enterprises.
At this auto show, Toyota unveiled a new product lineup with the theme of "Creating a New Future for Automobiles". In particular, the LF-ZC, which represents an innovative model concept, can completely miniaturize and lighten the basic components, and can be assembled according to the optimal aerodynamic layout, and through the integration of hardware and software, it can become an SDV that can read the needs of users first and grow on its own, creating personalized experience value. It is reported that the "LF-ZC" will be released to the world in 2026.
In the ever-changing Chinese market, Toyota has launched challenges in three aspects: electrification, intelligence, and diversification, accelerating the localization process and making phased progress. At this year's auto show, Toyota continued to showcase the latest achievements of Chinese inheritance and evolution, unveiled the latest pure electric models jointly developed with local partners in China, and officially announced that it will start a strategic cooperation with Tencent Group to create a future mobility full of diversity and provide customers with personalized new experience value.
Local development: Deepen R&D and localization in China
From the perspective of the industry, compared with domestic new energy models, one of the biggest shortcomings of joint venture models is intelligence. "If you don't change, you're out" can no longer be ignored, after all, the lessons of GAC Mitsubishi and GAC FCA are close at hand.
In the face of the advancement of the industry, Toyota is also facing huge challenges and opportunities in the Chinese market, where the competition for new energy vehicles is the most fierce.
In order to accelerate the pace of localization and meet the needs of local users, Toyota has always adhered to the development idea of "conducting research and development in the closest place to local consumers".
Based on the needs of Chinese consumers, a year ago, Toyota officially proposed to promote the development path of "inheritance and evolution" in China, hoping to inherit the brand genes of "peace of mind" and "reliability" in the Chinese market, and at the same time evolve a path of "making better cars" at Chinese speed.
Under the guidance of this strategy, Toyota has significantly strengthened its local R&D efforts in China. On August 1 of that year, Toyota changed its name to "Toyota Intelligent Electric Vehicle R&D Center (China) Co., Ltd." (IEM by TOYOTA), its largest R&D base in China, to further strengthen the local research and development of intelligent and electrified technologies, and to start the 2.0 development chapter with the Chinese style of "inheritance and evolution".
Then, on August 4, Toyota China, Pony.ai, and GAC Toyota signed an agreement to establish a joint venture for robotaxi-related businesses.
On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the "Inheritance and Evolution" initiative, Toyota also officially showcased its latest local achievements at this year's Beijing Motor Show, including the debut of two all-new electric vehicles, namely the "bZ3C" and the "Bozhi 3X".
"bZ3C" uses "Reboot" as the concept keyword, creating a lively and iconic shape, as well as a space for young Gen Z customers to renew their mood. "Bozhi 3X" is aimed at the younger generation of home users, and the concept of "Cozy Home", which means a comfortable mobile living room, creates a comfortable and comfortable large space. The two new models will be officially launched in the next one year, and will be equipped with the latest Toyota autonomous driving assistance system and intelligent cockpit, bringing a safer and more comfortable driving experience, and will provide customers with a new value experience.
Together with the "bZ Satisfied Space Concept" concept car unveiled at last year's Guangzhou Motor Show, the bZ lineup for pure electric vehicles will continue to evolve.
At the same time, the all-new 9th-generation Camry Camry, the all-new Prado and other high-profile intelligent electric hybrid dual engine models have also been unveiled.
On the one hand, Toyota, through a team of Chinese engineers, plans and develops more diversified intelligent solutions for Chinese consumers that are more in line with user needs.
On the other hand, we will deepen the connection with China's supply chain, deepen cooperation with Chinese partners, and continuously promote the rapid implementation of various measures.
The elephant turns around, it can also be fast, and Toyota is also moving frequently in intelligence. At the beginning of March this year, the new ninth-generation Camry was officially launched, using the 8155 chip to improve hardware performance, which has greatly improved human-computer interaction, not only with multi-language mixing, continuous recognition, voiceprint recognition, but also the ability of face recognition.
Through the future-oriented product layout and strategic planning, it can be clearly seen that Toyota's blueprint for the future development of intelligence and electrification is clear and far-reaching.
Toyota is not a conservative, but has always maintained a high degree of synchronization and common development with the Chinese market, rooted in China and working with partners to achieve "inheritance and evolution" with Chinese characteristics.
Multiple paths: Putting the choice in the hands of more consumers
In recent years, under the offensive of independent brand new energy vehicles, joint venture brands have always been slow by half a beat, and there is even a view that Toyota has been immersed in the glory of the fuel era and has a tough resistance to electrification.
On January 23 this year, Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda said in a speech that pure electric vehicles are expected to occupy only 30% of the market share at most, and the rest will be divided by hybrid vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and fuel vehicles.
This is once again interpreted as Toyota's disapproval of electric vehicles. Toyota, is it really going to lag behind?
In fact, electrification is not the same as pure electrification: a sudden heavy snowfall has exposed various uncomfortable symptoms of pure electric vehicles, and a shallow Qiongzhou Strait has blocked the way home for new energy vehicle owners - this Spring Festival holiday has made many new energy users feel many pain points.
In fact, pure electric vehicles still face many problems, such as fast power failure, short battery life, slow charging of new energy in the Northeast winter, mismatch of charging pile construction in individual regions, etc., and there is still a breakthrough in technology and infrastructure in the short term.
In order to meet the needs of different users, Toyota has always adhered to the development idea of diversified technology paths. Its electrification strategy includes multiple technical routes for HEV, PHEV, BEV and FCEV, with the aim of "giving more consumers the choice" and contributing to China's carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 through a series of efforts.
According to the data, Toyota Group's pure electric sales will still exceed 100,000 units in 2023, an increase of about 4 times compared with 2022. This momentum is not weaker than that of the new forces created in China.
Toyota has never denied pure electric and has been actively embracing technological change, but Toyota does not approve of the strategic layout of "all in pure electric".
Toyota is not only focusing on the development of electric powertrains, but also on the development and promotion of various powertrains such as internal combustion engines, hybrids, and hydrogen powertrains. This diversified strategy allows Toyota to flexibly respond to market changes and meet the needs of different consumers, while also providing more possibilities for the company's future growth.
Although there are still many problems to be solved in terms of cost and reliability of hydrogen energy vehicles, there are still a number of car companies like Toyota in the industry, insisting on doing difficult but correct things and practicing long-termism.
At present, companies including Changan, GAC, and Great Wall are already actively developing and developing, and hydrogen energy vehicles will not be too far away.
In fact, from the perspective of the international situation, it has become a consensus that the development of pure electric vehicles will not be radical.
As countries such as Britain, France, and Germany, which are vigorously promoting environmental protection, have slowed down the development of pure electric vehicles. In December 2023, Germany stopped subsidizing battery electric vehicles, and the United Kingdom announced earlier that it would postpone the 2030 ban on combustion engine vehicles until 2035.
Earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz revealed that it no longer plans to "fully switch to electric sales in major markets by 2030", which means that Mercedes-Benz will hold off on the pace of vehicle electrification. Similarly, auto companies such as Audi and General Motors have also taken the initiative to slow down the pace of electric vehicle development.
The data also shows that the sales growth rate of hybrid vehicles has exceeded that of pure electric vehicles. In 2023, the domestic sales of pure electric vehicles will be 6.685 million units, a year-on-year increase of 24.6%, and the sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles will be 2.804 million units, a year-on-year increase of 84.7%.
At the same time, the evolution of Toyota's hybrid technology has not stopped, and the fifth-generation intelligent electric hybrid technology has further evolved to electric drive.
On the one hand, Toyota's hybrid models have achieved "no difference" from gasoline vehicles in terms of price; on the other hand, Prado's hybrid technology is equipped with a turbocharged engine, which is also different from the previous Toyota hybrid large-scale use of Atkins cycle self-priming engine products, the launch of 2.4T hybrid products will reverse the impression of "energy efficiency and light power" left by Toyota hybrid to consumers in one fell swoop.
"Don't put all your eggs in the same basket", the development of pure electric vehicles is not a road to the black, which also highlights Toyota's adherence to the practice of long-termism and gives confidence to the market and supporters with a diversified technical route layout.
Mass production happiness: bring value and experience beyond products
"Those who win young people win the world", in the automotive and mobility industry, it seems that everyone is competing for young people. Toyota, on the other hand, has always adhered to long-termism, focusing not only on young consumer groups, but also on some special groups.
For example, in response to the social problems caused by aging and the inconvenience of people with disabilities, Toyota has launched a variety of welfare car aids, including the Sena, Grevia, Alpha, and Kosda, as well as a variety of welfare car aids such as pickers and lumbar support cushions.
Toyota's early concept of "Mobility for All provides freedom of movement for all" demonstrates Toyota's deep consideration for the future mobility society, relying on a wide variety of models, convenient and safe internal structures, and user-friendly configurations to provide a comfortable and convenient travel experience for the disadvantaged.
Today, with the rapid development of the global new energy vehicle industry, Toyota, as the world's top automaker, does not blindly pursue electrification, but aims to "make better cars" to achieve industry-leading, industry-leading, and unique breakthroughs.
The healthy development of an enterprise is not only reflected in sales volume and profits, but also in the long-term endurance and long-term strategic layout. Adhering to the principle of "inheritance and evolution", Toyota continues to think about product development with the user's mindset and brings users value and experience beyond the product itself.
Finding certainty in uncertainty and strength through cycles in change is a strong technical precipitation and sufficient cash in hand for Toyota.
Although Toyota does not seem to be a "trendsetter of the times" like a new force, it attaches more importance to the stability of the industrial chain and the universality of products, and brings more mature and reliable technological upgrades and more stable product quality through systematic and large-scale production advantages and cost advantages.
A full range of products are ready to go, Toyota comes with full sincerity, and is committed to "mass production happiness" for everyone who pursues quality.
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The husband is indisputable, so the world can not fight with it. To win the competition in the automobile market, the core competitiveness of car companies such as technology rush, channel efficiency, and supply chain stability are indispensable. Firm belief and not interference by short-term interests are also the valuable experience left by Toyota's long-term doctrine to the outside world.