The following is from an article by Mr. Shunichi Takahashi, a member of the editorial board of the economics department of the Sankei Shimbun, which appeared the other day under the title "HV: A headwind has begun to blow.
The article proves that my editorial was correct.
Still, Europe is too selfish.
In the past, I opened a branch office in Italy. I liked Paris just as much as Woody Allen did.
But my appreciation for them has plummeted, including the fact that France built a P4-level research institute in Wuhan.
It is the existence of Kenzaburo Oe, who has praised France's etc. and has been self-deprecating about Japan.
One of the most extensive red-light areas after the war was in Germany.
There are only two nations in the world that continue to practice Nazism in the name of anti-Japanese education.
They are the only two nations in the world that continue to engage in Nazism in the name of anti-Japanese education.
They are the only two nations in the world that continue to use the fake articles of the world's most vile and foolish newspaper, the Asahi Shimbun, to carry on their ridiculous anti-Japanese propaganda, such as comfort women.
Germany is incredibly despicable, and about half of its people are complicit in the anti-Japanese propaganda of China and South Korea.
It is no exaggeration to say that Germany is the most hypocritical country globally, and it is hard to describe the stupidity of the Japanese leftists who have been saying, "Learn from Germany."
The combination of these factors has reduced my feelings toward Europe by half.
What are the conditions for Japanese manufacturers to lead the world?
"We are ready for the 21st century.
Toyota Motor Corporation's "Prius," the world's first mass-produced hybrid vehicle (HV), made its spectacular debut in December 1997 with this catchphrase.
I remember those days well.
I remember it well because the design, which gave the impression of being too short, did not seem appropriate for a "car of the future," even though the emphasis was on fuel efficiency and aerodynamic drag was taken into consideration.
It is what I told an old friend of mine who works at Toyota.
"He explained, "We were conscious of creating a design that anyone could recognize as an HV just by looking at it.
More than 20 years have passed since then, and not all HVs have instantly recognizable designs.
In addition to HV-only cars like the Prius, there are more and more "HV-optional" cars, and non-Toyota vehicles are now being offered as well.
HVs, which run on a combination of an engine and an electric motor, has become familiar to people as a representative of "environmentally friendly cars" with high fuel efficiency.
However, news has come in from overseas that may affect the future of HVs.
It cannot be sold
On July 14, the European Commission of the European Union (EU) announced a comprehensive environmental policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The policy aims to reduce carbon dioxide (C0₂) emissions from new cars to zero by 2035.
If this policy is introduced, gasoline and diesel cars and HVs will be virtually impossible to sell.
Although Europe is leading the way with strict environmental regulations, many countries have not stepped up to the ban on the sale of HVs, and this ecological policy has shocked automobile companies.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (EAMMA) issued a statement saying, "It is not reasonable to ban a specific technology," and voiced its concerns.
However, not long after the environmental policy announcement, Daimler announced a plan to make all new cars of its luxury car division, Mercedes-Penz, electric vehicles (EV) by the year 30.
Major European manufacturers such as Volkswagen have already announced plans to invest heavily in EVs.
It seems as if the public and private sectors are working together in Europe to seize the EV hegemony.
The most affected by the ban on the sale of HVs will be the Japanese manufacturers, who lead the world in HVs.
Rapid decarbonization
In April this year, Toyota announced a plan to sell 15 EV models by 2013.
In Europe, the company plans to increase the sales ratio of electric vehicles to 100% in 30 years, but the percentage of EVs and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), which do not emit C0₂ during driving, is 40%.
The mainstay is HVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) that can be charged from an external power source.
Honda is the only Japanese automaker that has set a goal to sell all of its new vehicles like EVs and FCVs, but the target is 40 years.
Nissan also plans to sell all-new models in major markets, including Europe, as electric vehicles in the early 30s, but this will include HVs.
For this reason, some Japanese manufacturers are saying that the European Commission's environmental policy aims at destroying HVs.
However, HVs are facing headwinds outside Europe as well.
On the 5th of this month, U.S. President Biden signed an executive order that 50% of all new cars will be electric vehicles by 2013, but the three types of electric cars are EVs, FCVs, and PHVs HVs were excluded.
The global automobile market is moving from "low carbon" to "decarbonization" faster than expected can be seen from the Western environmental policies surrounding automobiles.
Japanese manufacturers are not technically challenging if they only have an EV lineup.
Of course, they will need to invest heavily in developing new models and the procurement of batteries. Still, the core technologies for electrification created for HVs, such as motor and control technologies, can also be applied to EVs.
Leverage our strengths
The question is how to demonstrate their strengths in EVs. The simple structure of EVs makes it challenging to differentiate between them in terms of reliability and high fuel efficiency.
Toyota is said to be leading the way in developing the next-generation "all-solid-state battery," which is said to extend the cruising range significantly. Still, so far, Japanese manufacturers do not seem to have found a solution to this problem.
As with HVs, Japanese manufacturers were the first in the world to launch mass-produced EVs.
It was Mitsubishi Motors' "i-MiEV," which was launched in 2009. The following year, Nissan followed suit with the Leaf.
However, they failed to introduce any attractive models after that, and foreign manufacturers took over the leadership in EVs.
Since the launch of the Prius, Japanese manufacturers have led the way in environmental technologies for automobiles.
EVs are the trump card for foreign manufacturers who are trying to regain that position.
Now that the EV market is about to take off in earnest, Japanese manufacturers must not repeat the same mistakes of the past.
Because many areas in the world do not have sufficient electricity and it will take time to develop recharging infrastructure, demand for HVs should not drop quickly.
In the meantime, how attractive can models be developed?
It is an indispensable condition for Japanese manufacturers to continue to lead the world.
