Toyota president Akio Toyoda has said that the Japanese manufacturer is a real automaker while Tesla isn’t, in reply to a query during a briefing, Bloomberg reported.
The remark followed Toyoda’s acknowledgement that Tesla’s valuation is greater than that of all seven Japanese automakers combined, Toyoda said, noting that Toyota can learn from Tesla in generating profit from software updates, renewable energy and CO2 emissions reduction, according to the report.
In July, Tesla had overtaken Toyota to become the world’s most valuable car brand by market value, with Tesla valued at US$205 billion (RM878.5 billion) and Toyota at US$200 billion (RM857.1 billion) in market capitalisation at the time.
The Japanese brand claims the high ground when it comes to offering a comprehensive product line, however. “We are losing when it comes to share price, but when it comes to products, we have a full menu that will be chosen by customers,” said Toyoda. Tesla sold 367,500 vehicles, or 3.4% of Toyota’s 10.74 million-unit output last year, Bloomberg reported.
The Japanese manufacturer is stepping up its electric vehicle development and manufacturing efforts, with the signing on a joint venture with BYD for the development of EVs, and the new company – named BYD Toyota EV Company – was set to commence operations in May.
Last year, Toyota was reported to have plans for investing US$2 billion (RM8.26 billion) into EV production in Indonesia over the subsequent four years, beginning with the development of hybrid vehicles. Though Toyota was the first to bring hybrid electric vehicles to the mass market, it has been a relative latecomer to the fully electric scene, with the C-HR EV and Izoa making their debuts at Auto Shanghai last year.
In January, Nikkei Asia reported that Toyota plans to sell 500,000 electric vehicles a year by 2025, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the Palo Alto, California-based EV maker “should be selling a few million cars a year” around the same time, according to Bloomberg.
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Seems like a remarks from a sore loser. The world automotive scene is changing, and if you don’t adapt you’ll be left behind.
Nokia once called out Apple for not being a “real phonemaker” when they first launched Iphone. Guess where is Nokia and where is Apple today.
Stonks
Trash talking from Toyota. Your company image is at a downfall here in SEA and with Jap reputation in tatters with the Takata, carpet gate, & fuel pump gate scandals, Toyoda is the last person to be defining who is and who isn’t an automaker.
Honda also trash talking. Their company also getting more worried that Proton have overtake Honda. Other brands already overtake Honda. So when honda sales are declining, Honda SA are starting to talk trash with having free time to bash other brands.
Honda is not even automaker anymore, they are going to become rebadger soon. Everyone knows that quality for honda always king of breakdown and keeping on recalls. Even, honda design getting absolutely uglier and not handsome.
Ohyea comrade! Long live geely Chinas,
Tesla exporting Model 3 with 100% China components to Europe. Comrade Elon?
Toyota are a sour grape when they can’t innovate. They have zero EV product line up.
Honda are also sour grapes most of the time when they can’t even innovate. That’s why they are actually bantuan General Motors in making EV platform, R&D and engines for them
Tesla is not automotive manufacturer
Tesla is a TECHNOLOGY company
Toyota mass produce BASIC items
Tesla is building FUTURE products
Honda mass produce BASIC items
Honda produce CHEAP Quality
Europeans/US/China produce FUTURE products
Europeans/US/China produce BETTER Quality
Tesla is not a “real” company
The Toyota president continued his remarks saying that Toyota operates in the “real world” where there are over 100 million of its vehicles in use.
Then he cited an analogy to drive home the point. Speaking about Tesla, he said that the “the kitchen and the chef” have not created a business in the real world.
Tesla is like a chef who claims that “our recipe will become the world standard,” the Toyota president said.
“But Toyota has a real kitchen and a real chef and we are creating real cuisine for very demanding customers,” Toyoda said.
Finally, he said that customers will choose Toyota/VW because it has the full menu and lineup.
#cloud sourced
Not a real automaker? Tesla valued at US$205 billion and Toyota at US$200 billion speak for themselves. Shalom my fren!
toyota make cars for the people of mass. in asean market alone, toyota easily sells 1 million units a year comprising all sorts of small cars, MPVs and commercial vehiclss (vans/pick up trucks).
talk about mobility ye.
with that in mind, toyota is able to create jobs for hundreds of thousands people worldwide.
what is tesla doing?
Tesla unable to make a rival to Proton X70/Perodua Myvi at it’s price yet. There is also no proper rival to car like Porsche Cayenne/Toyota Alphard.
Not a comprehensive player yet. Nobody want the 7seater in Tesla – sit awkwardly at the carboot.
Tesla right now, abit an outlier. More like a Food Stall then Kitchen.
Only Tesla S, P, is abit of practical.
Tesla Cybertruck does have good bookings, but real world practicality could be like driving a 5 tonne lorry – too huge. It’s even much larger than a Ford F-150 full size truck/lorry.
Perhaps one of the biggest mistake legacy carmakers and consumers make is underestimating what Tesla is capable of.
Tesla not intend to copy any automakers. Only its competitors often comes up remark “Tesla killer”, which obviously shown they’re taking Tesla as benchmark. Mr. Toyoda would never takes Proton as their rival either.
Tesla is truly futuristic transportation-maker
What exactly is “futuristic”? The electric drivetrain?
“The first successful electric car was made in the United States in 1890. William Morrison of Des Moines, Iowa, built an electric vehicle that could hold up to six passengers and could reach from 6 to 12 miles per hour.[4] Specifications for the 1890 Morrison Electric included 24 storage battery cells mounted under the front seat. The vehicle could travel for a range of 100 miles before needing to be recharged.” (Wikipedia).
This is one problem with the Japanese, refuse to adapt to changes. Still can’t to let go their CDs, cartridges, fax, feature phones and compact digital cameras.
Is Proton also ‘not a real automaker’?
Toyoda is just sour plum because Tesla basically caught everyone with thier pants down.
They were mucking around with hydrogen fuel cells for donkey years and still haven’t got it mainstream yet.
Toyota didn’t even promote their plug in hybrids.
Unlike Tesla that actually built infrastructure to support their electric cars (battery production, supercharger networks, etc), I don’t see much infra from Toyota at all.
Just like what happen to Honda Malaysia because when Proton/Geely is getting more successful, Honda Malaysia getting jealous.
Honda Malaysia doesn’t seems to take even more serious of improving on Honda quality. People have already made complaint but Honda Malaysia always ignore. They only just how to sell cars to customers.
Honda didn’t even provide how to make nicer cars. These cars getting weird and ugly.
Unlike Proton/Geely, despite getting products from China, basically Proton is still national car but at least they have know how to design cars better and do some research & developments for making turbocharger and electric cars too. Which they have done on their own
Well Tesla only good in marketing at best. Being so in interested to this brand, found out the advantage of their car vs other brand would be battery tech, autonomous tech, performance, infotainment unit. Other than that, if anyone want a real car, in form of performance-EV, Porsche Taycan would be the best one yet, and many other brand options for non performance.
Elon Musk’s reaction to this would be very interesting.
I would love to have a tesla rather than a toyota. I don’t know what you are talking about mr. toyoda.
Honda is also not real automaker.
Many car players are able to produce EV cars, with EV chasis.
E.g Toyota, VW, Tesla. Other Germans and Americans will produce EV chasis vehicle soon too.
However, clearly.
What Tesla is capable of – only a EV solution for a small market.
There is still alot of room for Tesla to market to, e.g A-segment to E-segment, SUV, MPVs, Mid to full size pickup. Cybertruck is oversized, even larger than a full size F-150 Tundra.
Tesla is a well worth company for what it is – Toyoda agree. It just that – it has not been a mobility solution for the mass. Many parties already have EV technologies and solutions for consumers too, like Porsches, McLaren – on high performance EV.
But when come to comprehensive Mobility Solution providers – Toyoda has more than Elon. Toyota and Panasonic has been the backbone of EV and batteries for Elon Musk. Rav4 was among the first EV 20 years ago.
Mobility solution should cover:
FCEV, EV, HEV, MHEV, MicroHEV, Gasoline, Diesels engines,
and variety of Transmission, suspension, chasis etc.
Currently, Tesla does make it’s car good enough, but not a master of all yet.
Will Tesla change the game? Tesla will be a known brand, just like other players. even by 2030, EV expected shares are only 30%. Tesla only part of them.
Will Tesla be the King? with small percentage, how is it king even by 2030?
Even Apple boasted to take over the world, their market share never grow for the past 10 years.
iPhone fans has been dissapointed with Apple slow performance, why not more ppl buying them. always at 15% to 20% market share only.
Tesla – just like Apple.
You can invest in it if you want, not worshipping it.
Tesla, definitely better than Proton X50.
despite not by a real automaker.
Indonesia going to mass produce Tesla, with action taken approaching them. I hope we get Tesla Asean Models soon, to be a real automakers, to meet more consumers’ demand then boasting.
“We are losing when it comes to share price, but when it comes to products, we have a full menu that will be chosen by customers.” Exactly this is how Nokia lost to just a single iphone.
In the classical sense, Akio Toyoda is correct.
But company like Tesla is just the beginning of the EV revolution. Vehicles in the future may move away from the traditional classical models / classification that we have today. That is what disruptive technology does. It changes status quo.
The Japanese IMHO is losing it’s edge and has been hampered by decades of economic stagnation. They’re so cautious, so precise, so wanting absolute perfection that they no longer at the forefront of technological innovations. Just not quick enough in this digital age. Bet few of you here remember the golden age of Toshiba (suggest you read The American Trap on how the mighty Toshiba fell).
The fact that Toyota, a Japanese giant, have to JV with a Chinese company says a lot about the Japanese preparedness for it’s future in EV. They are definitely not coming into this JV as the dominant partner.
Tru, at one point decades ago jp was a leader in innovation now it’s china and the us
Toyota may have more models ( full menu ) but not many people wants to buy or drive a Toyota .
I still want a Tesla over a Toyota.
Did you hear that Mr.sour grape Akio Toyoda ?
Tesla is not a real automaker…so what are they selling actually? Cekodok pisang?
Tesla makes SpaceX Starship to explore Martian planet not futuristic enough according to Neanderthal species riding kapchai underbone motorcycles.