Japanese engineers disassembled the crossover and were amazed
Toyota is the largest car manufacturer in the world and makes almost every type of vehicle you can think of. But if there’s one area where it lags behind, it’s electric cars.
The Japanese automaker sold just 24,466 electric cars globally last year, a drop in the bucket compared to the 2.6 million hybrids it sold in the same period. During the same period, the leader in cars powered only by electricity – Tesla, has realized 1.3 million sales.
However, Toyota is determined to catch up. This was announced categorically by the new CEO of the concern, Koji Sato, who took over from Akio Toyoda on April 1. Already, the ex-Lexus boss has promised a change in EV strategy, including the creation of a new BEV architecture to be ready by 2026.
According to Automotive News, the Japanese are currently trying to understand why they are so seriously behind the leader Tesla. That’s why Toyota engineers have completely disassembled a Model Y in order to discover the key technological secrets of the world’s best-selling electric vehicle. It is said that the Japanese were amazed by the simple but very effective structure of the Tesla crossover.
“Taking the skin off the Model Y, it really turned out to be a work of art. It’s just unbelievable,” commented one Toyota executive. According to him, the big surprise came from how technically different the latest versions of the Model Y are from those that were produced earlier, even though they all look the same in appearance.
The Japanese are impressed by the use of giga castings to eliminate countless parts and brackets and the structural battery that acts as the floor of the car. This Tesla approach eliminates hundreds of parts and shaves around 100kg off the car’s weight, while increasing battery range and reducing overall costs.
One Toyota executive was adamant: “It’s a completely different manufacturing philosophy,” while another added: “We need a new platform designed from the ground up.” And these are truly stunning admissions from executives of a brand known for its technology and manufacturing quality.
The dismantling of the Model Y has made it clear how far behind some of the legacy automakers like Toyota are when it comes to electric cars. Engineers are adamant that the Japanese automaker needs a big leap forward to catch up with Tesla’s way of building electric vehicles.
They have reportedly identified four main areas where Tesla has a major advantage over Toyota: a dedicated platform, an advanced battery, a dedicated electric vehicle manufacturing site, and a software-defined architecture. Tesla has all four of them, and Toyota has none—at least not yet.
