Norihiko Shiramizu
Reuters – Toyota will outline adjustments to its electric vehicle (EV) strategy to major suppliers early next year as it races to close the price and performance gap with industry leaders Tesla and BYD. I will explain. Said the piece.
The Japanese automaker plans to detail changes to its EV plans and notify major suppliers of the adjustments by early 2026, said the people, who asked not to be identified.
Toyota has been looking at ways to improve the competitiveness of its EVs planned for this decade. This includes accelerating the adoption of planned EV performance-enhancing technologies, from the electric drive system that includes the motor to the electronics that convert the power from the motor. Energy stored in batteries and converted to the grid into a more integrated heating and cooling system, officials said.
However, the change could include delaying some of the EV development program originally scheduled for three years, one of the people said.
The changes are for successors to Toyota’s first two EVs for major markets, the bZ4X and Lexus RZ, and are intended to close the cost and performance gap with Tesla, the people said.
Toyota plans to convene a large powwow of suppliers in February. This is the first global supplier competition since the pandemic.
In a statement, Toyota said it “constantly actively discusses and collaborates with key (suppliers and partners) on various topics” to achieve carbon neutrality. But he said there were no new details to disclose about the EV development project.
Billionaire Elon Musk’s Tesla made about eight times more profit per car than Toyota in the third quarter, analysts say.
Toyota is considering a three-phase, $30 billion plan to develop and launch an electric vehicle announced late last year, Reuters reported in October.
While it has suspended work on some battery-powered vehicle projects announced last year, a working group led by former Chief Competitiveness Officer Shigeki Terashi said it would be cost-effective in the fast-growing EV market. And we aim to improve technology.
The task force is tasked with outlining plans to improve Toyota’s EV approach, including considering possible successors to its new EV platform, e-TNGA.
The reforms come despite Toyota’s view that the gas-electric hybrids it pioneered with the Prius will continue to be an important part of the transition to carbon-neutral transportation.
Most major automakers expect EVs to make up the majority of vehicle sales by 2030, and green investors and environmental groups expect industry-wide EV sales to exceed Toyota’s previous expectations. Therefore, we are requesting prompt action from Toyota.
E-TNGA
Toyota’s EV strategy has focused on rolling out vehicles like the bZ4X, the first model in a series of battery electric vehicles called “Beyond Zero.”
The second phase of Toyota’s plans will cover the next few years when Toyota has models based on the e-TNGA platform it is developing, the company told some suppliers. Adjustments to this phase are changes that will likely be outlined to suppliers early next year.
Terashi’s group is currently considering whether to abandon the three-year-old e-TNGA architecture, which was created by changing the gasoline vehicle platform, and adopt a dedicated EV platform. A person familiar with the matter said.
The E-TNGA was designed to allow EVs to be built on Toyota’s assembly lines for gasoline and hybrid vehicles, on the factory floor of what Toyota engineers now see as key to Tesla’s strength. It’s a compromise that limits automakers’ ability to deliver innovation.
Toyota also designed the e-TNGA on the premise that it will need to sell about 3.5 million EVs annually by 2030, about a third of its current global sales, the sources said. However, the outlook for the industry is for a faster pace of growth.
Toyota has been working with two suppliers, Denso and Aisin, for its EV reboot.
Aisin and Denso have jointly developed a new thermal management system, as well as Aisin’s more advanced electric powertrain (eAxle).
Toyota is also looking at whether Denso’s just-developed silicone-carbide-based inverter could be introduced into some of its larger premium EVs, improving charging and reducing manufacturing costs.
Denso and Aisin did not respond to requests for comment.
Terashi’s role in leading Toyota’s EV strategy review is seen as a sign that the automaker is nearing a complete reorientation of EVs after leaving the company.
Terashi, 67, did not respond to a request for comment.
During his 42-year career, Terashi has been one of Toyota’s top vehicle planners and a strong advocate for zero-emission vehicles, including hydrogen.
He was part of the team that paved the way for Toyota’s cooperation with China’s BYD, the world’s largest EV manufacturer. The result is an upcoming China-exclusive Toyota electric sedan called the bZ3, powered by a BYD battery.
(Edited by Kevin Krolicki, Himani Sarkar and William Mallard)
