Toyota is grappling with its shift to electric vehicles and is reportedly considering major changes to its electric vehicle plans, driven by Tesla’s manufacturing strategy.
However, it could slow down some of its existing electric vehicle programs.
For years, we’ve been reporting on how far Toyota has fallen behind the competition in the shift to battery-electric vehicles. The automaker is known for investing (deceptively) in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and hybrid vehicles.
Toyota has continued to be highly critical of getting into battery electric vehicles despite announcing its own plan last year to bring 30 battery electric vehicle models to market by 2030. The plan n It’s only been a year, at least publicly, and yet Toyota is reportedly considering a major overhaul of its EV plan.
Reuters reported today:
Toyota plans to relaunch its electric car strategy to better compete in a booming market it has been slow to break into and has halted some work on existing electric vehicle projects, four people with knowledge of the current plans have said. development.
Toyota is said to have a task force evaluating significant changes to its electric vehicle platforms that will revamp its electric vehicle plan.
A decision is due early next year, and work is reportedly being halted on some electric vehicle programs in the meantime.
Toyota neither confirmed nor denied the Reuters report, but commented:
“In order to achieve carbon neutrality, Toyota’s own technology – as well as the work we do with a range of partners and suppliers – is essential.
According to the report, the review of Toyota’s EV plan, which is being led by Shigeki Terashiwas, was sparked in part by Tesla “winning the factory cost war on EVs.”
Toyota was reportedly surprised by Tesla’s successful use of certain manufacturing technologies, including the “giga press” that allows the Texas-based automaker to produce larger molded parts. This leads to manufacturing efficiency.
One of Toyota’s sources in the report said:
“What drives Mr. Terashi’s efforts is the faster-than-expected take-off of the electric vehicle and the rapid adoption of cutting-edge innovations by Tesla and others.”
Toyota is considered a manufacturing leader in the automotive industry. While Tesla’s manufacturing has been criticized in the past in the move to electric vehicles, there’s no denying the company is emerging as a leader.
Tesla now has the capacity to produce millions of long-range electric vehicles, and it does so with an industry-leading gross margin.
According to the report, Toyota is taking notes and looking to potentially develop a new EV platform from scratch based on those notes.
In addition to Tesla’s inspiration, Toyota is also inspired to alter EV plans due to the lack of success of its own single-battery electric vehicle program in the United States.
Toyota had to stop selling the bZ4X electric SUV because it was plagued by bad recalls.
Electrek’s Grasp
Good and bad here. I often say that other automakers, even well-established ones like Toyota, should take a look at Tesla’s success in mass-producing electric vehicles.
If Toyota finally does that and improves on its own EV platform, that’s good.
However, it looks like it will slow down some existing EV programs that Toyota is already working on. Considering the company is already behind schedule for the EV party, another overhaul of its plan right now could delay existing programs that should have launched in the next few years.
It’s probably too early to judge how Toyota’s electric vehicle shift will pan out, but to me it looks like the company is struggling after finally realizing it was wrong to reject battery electric vehicles. for so long.
FTC: We use revenue-generating automatic affiliate links. After.
Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.
#Toyota #wrestles #switch #plans #change #plans #due #Tesla