【By Guan察者网, Yuan Jiaqi】

According to Bloomberg, on the 16th, the CEO of Nidec Corporation, a major Japanese comprehensive motor manufacturer headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, Koji Kishida, recently said in an interview that the company is developing an electric vehicle motor that is almost entirely "made in China" to help Toyota Motor enhance its competitiveness in the world's largest car market.

According to Kishida, about 99% of the materials and components of the drive motor system "E-Axle" come from China. He described the manufacturing of this integrated motor as "extremely difficult."

Nidec's official website states that E-Axle is called the "heart" of the second generation of electric vehicles, and can be applied to all sub-market segments of electric vehicles, from small cars to large SUVs, and is increasingly being adopted by Chinese automakers.

E-Axle Ni100Ex (Gen2). Nidec official website

According to Bloomberg, Nidec has started supplying this motor for Toyota's electric SUV bZ3X. A Toyota spokesperson said that the model was launched in March this year, with a starting price of about RMB 110,000, and has sold approximately 20,000 units so far.

The report stated that as the first Toyota model to adopt this motor, the bZ3X is one of the important measures for Toyota to reverse the downturn in the Chinese market. Using a large number of Chinese components helps reduce costs, thus lowering the overall vehicle price, which is crucial for Toyota to re-establish itself in the fiercely competitive Chinese automobile market.

According to a previous report by The Wall Street Journal, the model was mainly designed by a Chinese team, produced in Guangzhou, using locally sourced batteries and the system from the Chinese autonomous driving company Momenta.

"Without China's supply chain, this car would never have been possible," said Masahiko Maeda, Toyota's Asia regional head. "If we do not achieve localization, it is impossible to enter this market."

Bloomberg also pointed out that this new motor is also key to Nidec's "self-rescue." In recent years, this Japanese motor manufacturer has also faced investor dissatisfaction due to insufficient profitability and a continuous decline in stock prices.

Over the past 50 years, this precision motor manufacturer has expanded through the acquisition of 75 companies, and now operates about 250 factories. After Kishida became CEO in 2024, he announced a restructuring plan at the beginning of this year. According to him, the restructuring may include selling part of the business, aiming to improve the company's image among shareholders and potentially boost the stock price.

"Before pursuing significant revenue growth, we must first stabilize our existing businesses and build a more efficient structure," Kishida said at the opening ceremony of the new factory in Qingdao. This $100 million new factory will produce home appliance motors, compressors, and electronic components, integrating two old factories that were previously under different business departments.

On July 9, the Nidec Qingdao Industrial Park project was officially put into operation in the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone (referred to as the "SCO Demonstration Zone").

According to China News Network, the project can produce 18 million motors and over 20 million electrical control devices per year, becoming a new platform for Nidec to output products and technologies to more than 70 cooperative enterprises worldwide, and an internationally leading research and development production base for DC motors.

Nidec Qingdao Industrial Park. Dazhong Daily

According to the Shandong Dazhong Daily, Kishida said at the ceremony: "Since the opening of the first factory in Dalian in 1992, the completion of the Qingdao Industrial Park once again proves our confidence in the Chinese market and our belief in shared, sustainable, and innovation-driven development values, which is the result of building solid partnerships."

At the same time, Toyota Motor is also significantly increasing its business in China. The company announced in April the construction of a new factory in Shanghai for its Lexus brand, reportedly with an investment of about $2 billion.

Kishida said that Nidec is confident in participating in this project and pointed out that the company has already supplied various automotive parts to Toyota.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7527547238072009255/

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