In many people's cognition, Toyota has always been a "conservative man" image. When all cars in the same class use advanced and high-end configurations, Toyota still uses the configurations of a few years ago; While car companies all over the world are increasing the electrification layout, Toyota is still immersed in the research and development of plug-in hybrid vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
But some recent actions of Toyota have made me question its conservative view.
Toyota first established a comprehensive cooperative partnership with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited in the field of power batteries for new energy vehicles, and the two sides will discuss new battery technology development and battery recycling, and then announced with BYD that they will jointly develop electric vehicles, including pure electric vehicles for cars and low-chassis SUVs, and the products are planned to be put on the China market before 225.
in just two days, Toyota has established cooperative relations with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited and BYD, two giants in China's new energy field.
It seems that Toyota, which is always on the sidelines, can't sit still under the sweeping wave of global electrification.
From full rejection to good advice
In the new energy plan, Toyota initially refused to engage in trams. Toyota always thinks that the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is the "ultimate environmental protection vehicle", and the hybrid vehicle is the transition before the arrival of the hydrogen fuel vehicle era.
As a "top student" in the hybrid field, Toyota is the first car company to produce hybrid technology models in batches, and its hybrid technology is ten years earlier than Honda's light hybrid. After the oil crisis in the 197s, in 1993, Toyota set up a project to conquer technology and reduce fuel consumption, so the PRIUS (parameter | picture) came out in 1997. So far, the sales volume of Prius has exceeded 4 million, and the cumulative sales volume of Toyota's hybrid models has exceeded 1 million.
under the strategic deployment of former head Takeshi Uchiyama, Toyota has always adhered to the hybrid route, and its enthusiasm for pure electric business has not been high. It thinks that electric vehicles are limited to the problems of cruising range and charging speed, and are not suitable for developing into urban transportation.
However, after Akio Toyoda took office, he realized that Toyota's development route needed to keep pace with the times. At the end of 216, Toyota Motor Corporation established EV Business Planning Department. Since then, Toyota has returned to the fast lane of the development of pure electric vehicles, constantly expanding its circle of friends.
Toyota first cooperated with local battery companies and Panasonic, then developed medium-sized and large-sized passenger car EV platforms and C-class SUV EVs with Subaru, and then joined forces with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited and BYD, two new energy giants in China, to accelerate the development of new energy vehicles.
at the same time, due to the implementation of the "double integral" policy and the trend of electrification development, Toyota has to pay attention to the product deployment in the field of pure electric. At the 219 Shanghai International Auto Show, Toyota introduced two mass-produced pure electric models, C-HR (parameter | picture) and Izawa.
From conservative to open cooperation
Especially in the context of electrification, China has become the largest and fastest-growing new energy market in the world, with not only the largest new energy vehicle market in the world, but also the main battery source material resources and the pulse of battery production. The data shows that in the first half of 219, the cumulative sales volume of new energy vehicles reached 57, units, a year-on-year increase of 65%.
Toyota will obviously not give up in the face of the spurt growth of new energy vehicles in China. However, Toyota's advantage lies in hybrid power, and the core of pure electric field lies in three-electric technology, so it is difficult for Toyota to make a breakthrough in the process of pure electric at this stage if it only relies on its own technology.
In addition, in June, Toyota also announced plans to accelerate the deployment of electric vehicles. In 225, more than 1 EV models will be launched worldwide. It is planned to sell 5.5 million electric vehicles, of which the annual sales of HEV and PHEV are more than 4.5 million, and EV and FCEV (parameter | picture) are more than 1 million.
however, from the time point of view, this plan is five years ahead of its announcement in 217, which directly leads Toyota to look for more stable and high-quality partners. On July 25, Toyota announced the establishment of a partnership with Didi, and the two sides will expand cooperation in the field of smart travel services. At the same time, Toyota and Didi will also set up a joint venture company with GAC Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. to carry out vehicle-related services for online car drivers.
reaching "deep cooperation" with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited, BYD and Didi successively, and establishing travel service companies, is an important step taken by Toyota to accelerate its electrification transformation, and also a key move to lay out the new energy market in China and even in the world.
A series of actions announced that Toyota will start the electric road at full speed.
A long-planned attack
Although people in the industry generally think that Toyota's actions in China are uncharacteristic, in fact, Toyota did not suddenly adjust its strategy to focus on the development of pure electric vehicles.
At the same time that Shanghai Auto Show launched two pure electric production vehicles, Toyota announced that it would open 23,74 patents of electrification technology accumulated in the research and development of hybrid vehicles for more than 2 years for free.
you should know that these patents are the core key technologies necessary for the research and development of various electric vehicles, such as hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), pure electric vehicle (EV) and fuel cell (FCEV), which will be a rare opportunity for major car companies to improve themselves.
Of course, Toyota is not a "philanthropist" either. In order to catch up with the head enterprises, Toyota has to sacrifice a killer weapon. The industry believes that Toyota's opening of hybrid technology patents will briefly activate the hybrid market and extend the active period of hybrid models. In this way, Toyota has left enough time for its growth in pure electrification technology.
However, under the background that car companies all over the world are accelerating the electrification process, there is not much time left for Toyota. Because Toyota started late in the field of pure electric power, it is necessary to unite industrial superior resources in order to enhance its comprehensive strength in a short period of time. The cooperation with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited and BYD will undoubtedly shorten the research and development cycle of electric vehicles, speed up the launch of models, and accelerate its own electrification transformation; The cooperation with Didi is that it has accumulated rich experience in "mobile travel".
for Toyota, combining the superior resources of the industry, on the one hand, is to learn from the cooperation and occupy the market; On the other hand, it is trying to build its own travel ecosystem to lay a good foundation for the market structure and competition of the whole industry in the future.
On the surface, Toyota just accelerated electrification. In fact, in order to face the complicated market competition environment in the future, Toyota played a big game of chess.