Toyota Motor will consolidate a portion of its electrified-vehicle research and development in China, aiming to accelerate product releases in a fast-changing market, reports Nikkei Asia. Toyota is renaming its largest Chinese R&D facility—the wholly owned Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (China)—to Intelligent ElectroMobility R&D Center by Toyota (China), effective Tuesday.
Engineers from joint ventures with automakers BYD, China FAW Group and GAC Group will also participate in new Toyota-led development projects. “The Chinese market is growing at an unprecedented pace,” said Tatsuro Ueda, CEO of the China region, in Monday’s news release. “Toyota will also work together as a group to reform how we work and think to survive in China.”
The company aims to speed development of electrified vehicles, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids. It seeks to develop smart cockpits that use artificial intelligence, as well as autonomous driving and safety features that better fit conditions on the ground in China.
