Toyota, Mazda form partnership to share technologies, confront cost challenges

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/CA/20150513/OEM01/150519954/AR/0/.1
TOKYO -- Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. have decided to to to make a "long term venture" that deepens cooperation on commodities, producing and technologies as car makers race to distribute spiraling development expenses amid actually-tougher emissions standards.
Beneath the deal declared May 13, the car companies will form a joint committee to assess "how far better use each firm's individual strengths," the firms said in a statement.
The statement comes amid media reports that stated the two firms are investigating numerous jobs. Among them would be an arrangement in which Toyota provides Mazda using its hydrogen fuel-cell program and plug in hybrid technologies, in trade for obtaining Mazda's gas-efficient Skyactiv petrol and diesel-engine technologies.
Summarizing the partnership in a joint press meeting, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda and Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai declined to provide tangible examples of exactly what the co-operation might deliver. But they recognized combined making, hybrid vehicles and fuel cells as chances.
The execs sidestepped questions in regards to the discussions evolving right into a money tieup. They also failed to give a time line for determining on future joint endeavors.
"This is an engagement statement, not a wedding statement," Toyoda stated.
The deal builds up on specialized exchanges that day again years involving the world's largest automaker and one of Japan's tiniest, export-dependent Mazda.
Toyota currently provides Mazda with hybrid drive-train technologies for the Mazda3 sedan. And Mazda is constructing a Skyactiv-equipped sub-compact sedan for Scion at its new plant in Mexico.
But Kogai stated the brand new tie up would "transcend the limits of previous co-operation."
The newest move comes as international automakers progressively pool assets on high-priced eco-friendly-auto development. In hydrogen fuel-cell technologies, for instance, Nissan Motor Co. has teamed with Ford Motor Co. and Daimler A-G, while Honda Motor Co. is operating with Gm.
For Japan's smaller car-makers including Mazda and Subaru-maker Fuji Heavy Industries, circling wagons having a a huge like Toyota can enhance their particular miniature r&d budgets.
Fuji Large, for instance, joined forces with Toyota in creating and producing the BRZ sporty coupe, which will be sold as the Scion FRS in the U.S. Fuji Large additionally gets mini-cars for the Japan market from Toyota Team minivehicle-maker Daihatsu.
Toyota additionally possesses a money stake in Fuji Large.
"If Ford, Nissan and Daimler have to get together on gas cells, then Mazda's nearly in a position to go it alone," stated Kurt Sanger, a car analyst with Deutsche Securities Japan.
"Now Toyota's recruiting some body to its camp."
The step-by-step quantity Toyota can glean from promoting fuel-cell and plug in hybrid methods to Mazda and the others might help to increase scale and bring down production costs.
Kogai, keenly conscious of his small business's budget constraints, has created partnering with other car-makers a priority. Besides making the forthcoming Mazda2-established Scion sedan for Toyota, Mazda may also give a model of its MX 5 Miata roadster to Fiat. Kogai mentioned the Fiat offer arrangement will carry on as intended, as will other ventures already on-the-books.
The importance of support is specially acute at Mazda.com following it autonomy from Ford, which had long been Mazda.com's sugar-daddy, assisting defer international r&d costs. While Mazda has stated it's no-interest in a different capital tieup, like that with Ford, it still wants a lot of cash.
"The smaller manufacturing companies in Japan have done exceptionally well lately," Sanger stated. "But searching beyond the following five years, that is inadequate. They should alter what they are doing."
Even without high-priced hybrid or hydrogen improvement, Mazda eyes its moonshot next generation drivetrain technologies using a 20 20 horizon. That scheme calls for introducing homogeneous charge compression ignition, identified as HCCI.
The engineering compresses the gas-air mixture to this type of high stress and temperature it ignites on it's own without needing a discharge, much like the manner a diesel engine works.
The newest gasoline motor under-development could be 30 percent better compared to the Skyactiv power-plants that first debuted in 2011 and are still being spread across Mazda's line.
For Toyota, the offer also provides it a front-row seat to examine Mazda.
Toyota engineers say in private that their firm has been gently benchmarking the relatively miniature Japanese competition, fascinated by its own uncanny power to turn out top quality automobiles on a shoe-string budget -- and to achieve this profitably from large-price Japan.
Toyoda stated that despite the huge difference in dimensions between both businesses, Toyota has much to study from its pint sized counterpart.
"In a feeling, Mazda is ahead of us in many places," he stated.
Mazda's large-compaction Skyactiv engines, successful transmission and light-weight chassis apparatus along with its Kodo design language, are prime examples of places where Mazda heads Toyota by a "complete lap," Toyoda stated.
Toyota plans to alter that, nevertheless, using a fresh modularized product system that debuts later this year and can underpin future automobiles. Additionally it is playing catch-up in engines.
Toyota had long prioritized gas-electric hybrid vehicle drivetrains over conventional internal combustion techniques. But it now is re-vamping foundation engines throughout the line. The newest technologies attract on direct-injection, turbo-charging, high-compression ratios and thin-burning atkinson cycle combustion. Last month, Toyota stated it was improving a world-wide engine update of 14 high efficiency engines through 2015 using the installation of a fresh downsized turbo device.

It's possible for you to reach Hans Greimel at [email protected]. -- Follow Hans on

Labels:
Making
Ventures

Mazda
Toyota

Marketing

12.05.2015
ID:1928

More news from this source:

1. Tell us about retail high achievers under 40
2. Suits target price-fixing parts makers
3. Soaring on the wings of the snowbirds
4. Volvo recalls 59,000 cars over software fault
5. Hyundai Ioniq targets Prius, but not in sales