Can Toyota Learn To Act Like Tesla?

Name: Can Toyota Learn To Act Like Tesla?
Uploaded: 2025-01-17T15:35:32Z
Duration: 44 min 41 s
Description: On the Plugged-In Podcast, we discuss the new Tesla Model Y, Toyota's EV challenges and a recent Rivian R1T road trip.

On the Plugged-In Podcast, we discuss the new Tesla Model Y, Toyota's EV challenges and a recent Rivian R1T road trip.

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44:41

Tim Levin

By: Tim Levin

Jan 17, 2025 at 10:35am ET

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That's kind of a wild question, when you think about it. What could the biggest automaker in the world learn from a company that barely existed 20 years ago?

A whole lot, as it turns out. We write a lot around here about how Tesla (and now China's automakers) got a wide lead over established car companies when it comes to software. How it leads on charging experience and over-the-air updates. How it's reached economies of scale for electric vehicles that the legacy auto players can only dream of.

Toyota bZ4X Cutaway

The Toyota bZ4X EV.

Photo by: InsideEVs

But Tesla also schools Toyota in another unlikely way—the actual nuts and bolts of designing EVs. My co-host Patrick George and I discuss that and more on this week's episode of the Plugged-In Podcast.

Much of our conversation was inspired by an enlightening Bloomberg Businessweek story from this week. It argues that Toyota's most basic production systems and ways of thinking aren't built for the EV era. Tesla and innovative Chinese companies like BYD have become electric-car juggernauts by fundamentally rethinking how cars are made and relentlessly focusing on vertical integration. Toyota, meanwhile, depends on designs honed over decades in the combustion-car business and lots of outsourcing.

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Can it learn to thrive in the EV era, and on what timeline? That's the big question. Because Chinese automakers are wasting no time as they gobble up market share pretty much all over the world. Oh, and Toyota isn't alone here; other old-school automakers need to wake up too.

Tesla Model Y (2025)

The refreshed Tesla Model Y.

Photo by: Tesla

Also on today's show, we talk about the new Model Y and Patrick's recent road trip in a Rivian R1T. Spoiler alert: He broke it. But Rivian fixed it quickly, and the truck continued to impress.

What do you think?

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Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com

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