Toyota has been left amazed after seeing how rival company BYD makes its EVs.
Japan’s biggest car manufacturer recently collaborated with BYD on a new project.
The Toyota/BYD collaboration has seen the creation of the brand-new bZ3.
But Toyota is reportedly ‘flabbergasted’ by the speed of development from BYD.
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Toyota left reeling by BYD philosophy
Toyota is, statistically speaking, the world’s largest car manufacturer.
In fact, Toyota sold over 10.8 million cars globally in 2024 alone.
As a result, you would think that Toyota has well and truly seen it all.
Well, it turns out that Toyota engineers have been left ‘flabbergasted.’
So what has caused Toyota to be left feeling so shocked and amazed?
It turns out that the root of Toyota’s shock is its most recent development project.
The new Toyota bZ3 electric sedan has been developed in partnership with BYD.
Traditionally, it takes around four to five years for a car to be fully developed.
This encompasses its first sketches all the way to rolling off the assembly line.
Traditional car brands – especially Toyota – emphasise the importance of a painstaking process.
It turns out that BYD has halved the traditional development time for its EVs.
Instead of taking four to five years, BYD is rolling out new cars every two years.
And it is this Silicon Valley-like approach that has left Toyota engineers shocked.
Could the Japanese brand abandon its meticulous approach?
According to Reuters, Toyota’s top brass was left shocked at BYD engineers’ willingness to make late changes in development.
It means that BYD is essentially willing to rush cars out and fix them later on.
The reports also suggest that BYD engineers work 12-hour shifts, six days a week.
BYD has also adopted a ‘fail fast’ philosophy, which relies less on real-world testing and more on AI and simulations.
Naturally, this is entirely in contrast to Toyota and its emphasis on a careful, quality-curated process.
Whilst Toyota was impressed with BYD’s speed, it maintained several concerns.
The new bZ3 EV comes with BYD’s Blade lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery.
That equates to around 250 miles of range on a single charge for potential bZ3 owners.
It might not boast the most impressive numbers, but it does boast an impressive price.
That is because the new Toyota BZ3 will set you back just $27,000.
Toyota has developed its reputation for quality by taking its time and ensuring its cars are well-built.
Will we ever see Toyota abandon its quality-centred philosophy in favor of rushed mass-production?
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