Mazda, Denso, and Toyota Sign Joint Technology Development Contract for Electric Vehicles
2017年9月28日 - 12:54PM
JCN Newswire (英)
Mazda Motor Corporation, Denso Corporation, and Toyota Motor
Corporation signed a contract today to jointly develop basic
structural technologies for electric vehicles. Furthermore, the
three companies have also decided to establish a new company
consisting of selected engineers from the three companies to ensure
the efficient implementation of the joint technological development
projects.
As countries and regions around the world adopt increasingly
stringent policies to help reduce greenhouse gases, new regulations
that mandate a certain proportion of electric vehicle sales are
beginning to emerge. Complying with these environmental
regulations, while ensuring the sustainable growth of our
companies, requires the development of a wide range of powertrains
and technologies. We regard electric vehicles (EVs) as a key
technological field in this process alongside fuel cell
vehicles.
With EVs yet to find widespread market acceptance, the huge
investments and time required to cover all markets and vehicle
segments is a pressing issue for individual automakers when
responding to the widely varying demand for vehicles around the
world.
Mazda, Denso, and Toyota have decided to jointly develop basic
structural technologies for EVs capable of covering a wide variety
of vehicle segments and types to ensure flexible and rapid response
to market trends. This agreement covers a diverse range of models,
from minivehicles to passenger vehicles, SUVs, and light trucks,
and aims to innovate the development process by combining the
strengths of each company, including Mazda's bundled product
planning and prowess in computer modeling-based development,
Denso's electronics technologies, and the Toyota New Global
Architecture (TNGA) platform.
The new company will engage in the following:
1) Research into the characteristics (common architecture(1)) that
define optimum performance and functions of EVs from the standpoint
of both individual components and the whole vehicle
2) Verification of component installation and vehicle performance
realized by the characteristics achieved in item 1
3) Examination of the optimum concept for each car classification
with regard to each component and each type of vehicle realized by
achieving items 1 and 2
Through this joint technological development project, by dedicating
an equal amount of development resources, ensuring efficient
development processes, and taking advantage of existing production
facilities, Mazda and Toyota intend to focus their resources on
fundamental vehicle values to enable the creation of appealing EVs
that embody the unique identities of each brand and avoid the
commoditization of EVs.
The companies also aim to create a business structure that is open
to participation by other automakers and suppliers.
(1) Common architecture is the basic product design concept for
realizing required product performance by distributing those
requirements among structural components. Under the concept of a
common architecture, the basic structure of each component can be
commonized, thereby transcending differences in vehicle class and
power. By organizing component characteristics, various products
can be developed and produced through the same process.
About Mazda
Mazda Motor Corporation (TSE:7261) started manufacturing tools in
1929 and soon branched out into production of trucks for commercial
use. In the early 1960s, Mazda launched its first passenger car
models and began developing rotary engines. Still headquartered in
Hiroshima in western Japan, Mazda today ranks as one of Japan's
leading automakers, and exports cars to the United States and
Europe for over 30 years. For more information, please visit
www.mazda.com
Source: Mazda
Contact:
Corporate Communications Division
Mazda Motor Corporation, Japan
+81-3-3508-5056 [Tokyo]
+81-82-282-5253 [Hiroshima]
mailto: media@mazda.co.jp
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