Just after Volkswagen invested 2 billion euros (about 65.438+0.6 billion yuan) in China's new energy vehicle market, another giant, Toyota Motor, also started to act.
Two weeks ago, Volkswagen did two great things in the China market. At first, it spent 1 1 billion euros to become the largest shareholder of Guo Xuan Hi-Tech, a power battery company, and took out 1 billion euros to acquire 50% shares of Jianghuai Holdings and the management right of Jianghuai Volkswagen Joint Venture.
Volkswagen's attitude is clear: I will make efforts in the pure electric passenger car market in China.
Toyota, another multinational giant that was once considered to be heating up too slowly in the field of new energy vehicles, chose another runway-hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
On June 5th, Toyota signed contracts with FAW, Dongfeng, GAC, BAIC and Yihuatong, and announced the establishment of "United Fuel Cell System R&D (Beijing) Co., Ltd.", with a total investment of 50. 19 billion yen, of which Toyota contributed 65%, Yihuatong 65.438+05%, and the other four car companies each accounted for 5%.
This company aims at the commercial vehicle market and hopes to accelerate the popularization of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the commercial vehicle market in China through technical means.
Toyota talks about "hydrogen" and love.
In the field of new energy vehicles, Toyota's attitude has always been clear. Oil-electricity hybrid is the best transition scheme. The ultimate environmentally friendly car is hydrogen fuel, and pure electric is not its dish.
Toyota developed hydrogen fuel technology as early as the hybrid technology, which can be traced back to the 1990s. Like hybrids, Toyota currently has a high voice in the patent level of hydrogen fuel technology and has mastered many core technologies.
However, due to the high cost and insufficient infrastructure construction of hydrogen refueling stations, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have not ushered in a major outbreak in the world. So how to reduce the cost and increase the number of hydrogen refueling stations? It is definitely impossible for Toyota to rely on its own strength. It must rely on its friends.
China market is undoubtedly a hot spot for hydrogen fuel. The development of hydrogen fuel cell technology was written into the 13th Five-Year National Science and Technology Innovation Plan, and the promotion of hydrogenation facilities was also written into the 20 19 government work report.
So Toyota began to pave the way two years ago. 20 18 reached a cooperation intention with BAIC Futian and Yihuatong to jointly build a hydrogen fuel cell bus, which will also serve the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Last year, Akio Toyoda personally came to Tsinghua University and announced the establishment of the Tsinghua University-Toyota Joint Research Institute, with hydrogen fuel cells as the main research topic. Subsequently, we reached an understanding with FAW and Suzhou Jinlong on the cooperation of hydrogen fuel cell buses.
With the establishment of the joint venture company, Toyota has two new partners in the field of hydrogen fuel in China, Dongfeng and GAC. One is a commercial vehicle giant, and the other is an iron buddy who has been in China for many years. Both companies are state-owned enterprises, and the cooperation is of far-reaching significance.
Foreign capital enters to incite the new energy market.
Vigorously developing the new energy automobile industry has long been a strategic deployment at the national level. If a few years ago, the government hoped to let independent brands run first through subsidies and preferential policies, it has now entered the second stage, opening the door for foreign brands to enter the market with investment and technology, and making the whole new energy industry alive.
In 20 19, the new energy vehicle market experienced a year-on-year sales decline for the first time, and the sales volume in the first four months of this year decreased by nearly 40% year-on-year. If we want to achieve the goal of 20% or even 25% sales of new energy vehicles in 2025, we must give the market more external stimulus.
As a result, we saw the cancellation of the "white list" of power batteries, saw Tesla enjoy various preferential policies at home, saw Volkswagen's share ratio in the Jianghuai Volkswagen joint venture company increase to 75%, and now saw Toyota and the four major state-owned car companies holding hands in the field of hydrogen fuel.
There are also some voices against it. They think that over-opening to foreign investment is crushing the independent brands with insufficient strength and inviting wolves into the room. I don't think it is necessary to be so pessimistic.
The "wolf" has come, and we don't need to protect the weak, otherwise the whole new energy vehicle market will be lost. Europe is eager to replace China as the largest market for new energy vehicles. Recently, France and Germany have spent billions of euros on electric cars, so we should work harder.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.