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How Japan was left behind in the global EV race
Sony and Honda’s announcement that their alliance to produce electric vehicles will see the creation of an independent company with a new brand typifies the challenges the Japanese motor industry faces in transitioning away from petrol and diesel vehicles. A world beater that created its own management philosophy has been living in a comfort zone it is reluctant to step out of.
Toyota’s determination to stick with the internal combustion engine has cost the country its technological leadership, is no longer the most valuable company in the industry. After several years of trying to leverage its powerful lobby to delay the transition to electric vehicles at home and in the United States, Toyota announced an alliance with Subaru in 2019 that would result in 15 new electric models by 2025, and finally, following the Japanese government’s announcement to ban the sale of diesel and gasoline vehicles around 2030, it raised that figure to 70.
Let’s not forget that when the major automotive companies and 30 governments announced, in November 2021, a commitment to abandon gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2035 in their main markets and by 2040 worldwide, Toyota, along with Volkswagen and Nissan-Renault, were absent, as were the United States, China and Japan. Since then, Toyota has wasted its time, despite the accidents, trying to develop hydrogen…
