Toyota officially established the China Chief Engineer System, with Chinese engineers leading product development. The Baozhi 3X has become the first model to be launched under this system, and the FAW Toyota bZ Crossover and GAC Toyota Baozhi 7 will be launched soon. This move marks Toyota's departure from the “direct import of global models” model and its shift to in-depth localized research and development. Toyota's localization process has been accelerated, with the first appointment of a Chinese as Vice Chairman and General Manager of Toyota China in January 2025, and the announcement of the construction of a wholly-owned Lexus electric vehicle plant in Shanghai in February, with the President of Global Pure Electric Vehicle Development directly in charge. Mr. Akio Toyoda emphasized that he does not seek to be the top seller, but rather to be the “best local citizen”. Product development under the new system needs to balance Toyota's global “safety and security” standards with the speed and cost requirements of the Chinese market. Toyota's battery technology is already compliant with the new national standard to be implemented in 2026. Li Hui, General Manager of Toyota China, said that the company is moving from the 1.0 era of global model import to the 2.0 era of localized R&D, and in the future will enter the 3.0 era in which China's experience feeds the global market.

Recently, media reported that Toyota reported a recall plan to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, applying for the recall of two models, Alphard and Vellfire, produced from December 2014 to April 2023, totaling about 434,000 vehicles. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said that under certain conditions, parts with insufficient durability of the relevant vehicles may be damaged, and in serious cases, the engine may stall while driving. So far, no relevant accident reports have been received, and 135 fault reports have been received.

On June 28, Toyota Motor was reported to be considering allowing employees to work a four-day week to attract more talent. If a deal is reached with unions, the policy could be implemented as early as this year. It is reported that the welfare benefits of Toyota employees have always been relatively generous. In March this year, Toyota fully accepted the union's demands for salary and bonus increases for the fourth consecutive year. Depending on the position, Toyota employees' monthly salary will increase by up to 28,440 yen (approximately RMB 1,284), and bonuses will increase from the equivalent of 6.7 months' salary in the previous year to the equivalent of 7.6 months' salary.

According to media reports, Toyota Chairman Akio and nine other board members were re-elected at Toyota's annual shareholder meeting. Despite being re-elected, the approval rate has dropped significantly. According to published data, the approval rate for Akio Toyoda's election as chairman is only 71.93%, a record low. More than a quarter of Toyota Motor shareholders oppose re-election. It is not difficult to see that Toyota Motor shareholders are gradually accumulating dissatisfaction with Akio Toyoda. Against this background, Toyoda Akio's re-election as chairman not only reflects his status and influence within the company, but also shows that Toyota Motor's revenue and net profit have achieved significant growth in 2023, and its performance advantages .

On June 18, FAW Toyota issued a document on its official platform saying that it would provide a limited-time comprehensive discount of 43,000 yuan for the Corolla model, with prices starting from 79,800 yuan. According to data released by the National Passenger Car Market Information Joint Conference, FAW Toyota ranked 11th in the retail sales rankings of automakers in May. FAW Toyota, which fell out of the top ten, suffered a severe setback in retail sales of its flagship product Corolla. Its retail sales in May were only 7,693 units, a year-on-year decrease of 54.96% from 17,080 units in the same period last year. Although the company has not specified the expiration date of the promotion this time, this promotion may be to increase the sales volume of the model.

Toyota announced on Monday that it found insufficient data used in pedestrian and passenger protection tests, involving models such as the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio, and Yaris Cross.

According to media reports, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism conducted a surprise inspection of Toyota Motor’s headquarters on the morning of the 4th in response to serious irregularities such as data falsification related to safety. Inspectors will question quality managers and analyze relevant documents to find out what happened. According to Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Toyota's improper conduct so far identified includes: submitting false data in pedestrian protection tests of three models in production; and illegally processing test vehicles in crash tests of four models produced in the past. In addition to Toyota, among the 85 companies requested by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to conduct internal investigations, as of the end of May, four companies, Mazda, Yamaha Engine, Honda, and Suzuki, had reported improper behavior and planned to start from the 5th. Conduct surprise inspections on the remaining four companies.

According to the latest news released by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on June 3, five car companies including Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Suzuki and Yamaha had violations in vehicle performance testing. It is reported that after Daihatsu Motor was exposed to certification violations, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism asked 85 companies in the Japanese automotive industry to self-examine whether similar situations existed. The above-mentioned five car companies discovered the same violations during their internal investigations. After the news came to light, all five car companies held press conferences to apologize for the violations.

Recently, media reported that Toyota’s global model smart driving solution will adopt the “Toyota + Huawei + Momenta” tripartite joint solution model. This solution is different from Huawei’s existing ADS high-end assisted driving system. Autonomous driving companies Momenta and Huawei provide software respectively. and hardware solutions, in-depth cooperation and integration among the three parties. According to people familiar with the matter, Toyota is expected to officially announce specific plans during the Beijing Auto Show. I asked Toyota for confirmation on this news, but they said they had "no comment."