Toshiba plans with Volkswagen to develop electric vehicles and components

Source and time: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun (February 16, 2009)
1. In the environmentally-friendly vehicle market is generally optimistic about the case from all walks of life, automobile manufacturers are actively working with motor manufacturers to establish a close cooperative relations with a view to joint development of electric vehicles. At present, Toshiba has decided to with the German Volkswagen (VW) car batteries and motor cooperation and other important components of development. The company was established in 2003, "Automatic Vehicle Systems Department of the cause of the omnibus," in 2008 sales, amounting to about ¥ 200,000,000,000, the future such as a smooth access to the main components of the orders, will be the company's automotive operations to expand the machine be helpful.
2. Volkswagen plans to use the initial "Up!" Small cars based on the development of electric vehicles, is scheduled to formally put on the market in 2012. In addition to Toshiba, but also at the same time with Sanyo Electric to develop the next generation of vehicle batteries. Currently Volkswagen has not yet decided whether to adopt a single vendor to develop the batteries, the future may also be in accordance with different types of vehicles using the battery in order to encourage manufacturers to reduce the cost among the competition.
3. Another, Hitachi and other Japanese electric companies in view of the second half of 2008 the automotive market rapidly decline, resulting in auto-related business of business than ideal circumstances, is also actively engaged in transforming organizations to try to increase the "green car" related departments, with a view to catch up with the wave of electric car development.
4. However, the various car manufacturers for environmentally friendly hybrid cars such as automotive components, the core of the procurement methods do not do the same, TOYOTA car to take to different buy the policy makers, HONDA insisted on their own manufacturing. In this regard, motor car industry consider the size of annual production capacity of 50,000, the Department may be outsourcing the production of components, minimum standards, how can we grasp the opportunity motor manufacturers for technical proposals and investment for the next important issue.
5.2008 in Volkswagen's global sales volume of more than six million, and sales for the first time to enter the top three. Follow-up prediction of the global automotive industry will be significant changes in the territory, the future development of the various car manufacturers are also likely to be about the prospects for motor manufacturers an important factor.