Toyota discusses the future of the automobile

In the four years since announcing its new Global Vision, Toyota has made significant progress toward achieving sustainable growth by making ever- better cars.

This has required a new approach to manufacturing automobiles, with the core aims being greatly improved product development and more competitive production sites. This work is based on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) and is supported by the cultivation of a skilled and capable workforce.

To greatly improve core vehicle performance and product appeal, Toyota is implementing an innovative, integrated development approach for powertrain components and vehicle platforms.

Development of vehicles is also being grouped to promote strategic sharing of parts and powertrain components with the goal of reducing resources required for development by 20 per cent or more.

And by working even closer with suppliers, Toyota intends to further reduce costs and reinvest the resulting resources into developing advanced technologies and strengthening product appeal.

Powertrain components are at the heart of all vehicles.

Their development needs to be coordinated with that of vehicle platforms, which form the basic structure of all vehicles.

To enhance driving performance and fuel efficiency while also giving vehicles more attractive styling and improved handling, Toyota is focusing on joint development of powertrains and platforms together to create a lower center of gravity, on making components lighter and more compact, and on applying unified design through modularization.

By improving thermal efficiency in engines and energy- relay efficiency in transmissions, Toyota has increased the overall fuel efficiency of its powertrains by approximately 25 per cent and overall power output by more than 15 per cent.

Toyota has developed new platforms through innovative improvements to its vehicle underbodies and suspensions.

Additionally, repositioning and lowering the center of gravity of powertrain components has contributed to achieving attractive, low- stance designs, responsive handling, a high- quality drive feel, and collision performance that offers safety and peace of mind.

By rethinking body structure, Toyota plans to first increase overall body rigidity by as much as 30 to 65 per cent, and then further improve rigidity by joining body components using laser screw welding technology.

Toyota will begin rolling out its new platforms with the launch of a midsize front- wheel- drive vehicle this year, followed by specific new platforms for front- wheel- drive compact and large vehicles, as well as for rear- wheel- drive vehicles.

Toyota expects approximately half of its vehicles sold worldwide in 2020 to feature the new platforms.