Japanese automakers announced plans to introduce the latest Chinese technologies into their models at the Auto Shanghai motor show held in Shanghai, aiming to regain lost ground in China.
Toyota Motor Corp. has announced its new “bZ7” electric vehicle (EV) will be equipped with an operating system from the Chinese company Huawei. Toyota is developing the new model with an aim to launch it within a year. The automaker also unveiled a plan to appoint young Chinese people to chief engineer positions developing models for the Chinese market.
Honda wants to adopt the artificial intelligence (AI) technology of Chinese tech startup DeepSeek to develop models for China while it also unveiled a plan to codevelop driver assistance technology with another China-based startup company. They plan to develop technology capable of operating the vehicle in heavily congested areas of Chinese cities.
Nissan says it will make an additional research and development investment of 10 billion yuan (about ¥200 billion) in China by the end of 2026. Isao Sekiguchi, managing director of Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Co., Nissan’s joint venture in China, suggests the company will speed up efforts to develop new models in China.
According to the China Passenger Cars Association, the market share of Japanese automakers in China fell from 24.1% in 2020 to 13.7% in 2024.
The decline is due to a delay in developing and launching new energy vehicles (NEVs) such as EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) in China, where competition is intense. Additionally, the Chinese are spending less due to the economic downturn.
Source: The Japan News
