Reference News Network, January 6 report - According to the UK's Daily Telegraph website on January 4, about 30 years ago, Japanese automotive giant Toyota introduced a new concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show: the Prius hybrid electric vehicle.

At that time, Toyota engineers drove the prototype car for less than 500 meters when parts failed. But the company's management was determined to have the Prius on the road by 1997.

"At that time, all major automakers around the world were developing electric vehicles," recalled Shigeki Kogure, the chief engineer of the Prius development. "Throughout automotive history, there are many cases where companies lost to their competitors due to missing fleeting opportunities. We would not be left behind."

Toyota eventually won. The first-generation Prius was far from perfect, but with its first-mover advantage, marketing strategies in line with the times, and excellent fuel efficiency, it achieved millions of sales worldwide over the next 20 years.

However, a new round of competition has already begun. Pure electric vehicles have become the main battlefield of the 2020s.

This time, however, the former industry champion has not gained an overwhelming advantage.

Toyota, along with Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki and other Japanese peers, has ceded the lead to Chinese competitors.

Japanese automakers may hope to catch up like the tortoise in the fable of the tortoise and the hare. However, Chinese auto giants such as BYD, Geely, and GAC have started entering the Japanese market, and Japanese automakers now face the risk of being significantly outpaced by their rivals.

Currently, pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles account for a quarter of global car sales. The International Energy Agency expects this share to exceed 40% by 2030.

This growth trend is largely driven by China, the world's largest automobile market. In 2019, the share of pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in passenger car sales in China was only 5%, but by 2024, this proportion had risen to 46%.

This provides a platform for Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers. Although Chinese automakers have faced tariff barriers in Europe and market skepticism in the United States, they have found fertile ground in markets that were once dominated by Japanese automakers.

Pure electric vehicle demand is surging in countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Mexico, and Brazil, gradually replacing the market share of traditional gasoline vehicles, a significant portion of which are produced in Japan.

"These markets, especially Southeast Asia, have long been the stronghold of Japanese automakers. Therefore, as Chinese automakers enter, the most affected competitors are Japanese automakers," said Felipe Muñoz, founder of an automotive industry analysis company.

In the top ten brands for global pure electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle sales in 2025, seven are from China, while no Japanese brands are present.

China's technological advantages in the field of electric vehicles have enabled it to surpass Japan and become the country with the highest volume of passenger car exports globally.

Chinese automakers not only seized the initiative in electric vehicle-friendly markets such as Southeast Asia, but have also set their sights on the Japanese domestic market.

BYD is planning to establish a dealer network in Japan and launch a Japanese-style "light vehicle," a uniquely shaped small car that is popular in Japan. With domestic market profit margins continuously narrowing, Geely, Xiaomi, and GAC are also planning to export pure electric vehicles to Japan.

In response, Japanese automakers such as Toyota, Nissan, and Suzuki are accelerating the launch of updated or new models, and Honda has also developed a fully electric light vehicle.

Recently, Suzuki Haruhisa, president of Suzuki Motor Corporation, welcomed the entry of Chinese automakers, saying he hopes to "mutually inspire and engage in healthy competition" with his Chinese counterparts. (Translated by Yang Ke)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7592070406463373824/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.