TNGA Architecture, Toyota Predicts the Future

Production | automobile production

If the ninth generation Camry, the first Toyota TNGA model in China market, goes on the market, what will TNGA architecture bring to Toyota in four years?

Is it "TNGA smells good" in consumers' mouths, or is it rising in the sales list, or is it a more stereoscopic and fresher Toyota brand?

All the above is true, but it's more than that.

When we stand at 202 1 and see the more unconstrained design style of the automobile industry, the pure electric architecture that is more flexible than Lego bricks, the continuous entry of new players, and the expectation of the reconstruction of the industrial value chain, everyone hopes to find the future answer.

When I read the introduction materials of TNGA architecture again, I suddenly found that Toyota had given the answer.

Some things are just so interesting. I remember that when I first came into contact with the concept of TNGA architecture, it was not easy to understand. Compared with the intuitive changes brought by "platform" to products, the innovation of Toyota TNGA architecture in car-making concept and production system was not easy to be touched and perceived at that time.

But when all this happened, there was quite a feeling of "more lines and ten steps, suddenly enlightened".

The R&D concept and production mode change idea in Toyota TNGA architecture are being practiced by new players in more and more industries. Facing an automotive future redefined by electrification and digitalization, the spiritual core of TNGA architecture has also been proved by more and more enterprises to be the future trend.

Creating catchwords: TNGA and architecture

When the 2065 438+02 TNGA architecture was born, people were most familiar with the "platform" of the public. No matter what these letters mean, everyone understands that they mean technology and strength.

Today, nine years later, Toyota may not have thought that the word "architecture" has replaced the platform as the latest trend, although sometimes consumers don't quite understand the deep differences behind these two words.

If the platform is around products, then the architecture is more like a revolution around automobile production.

The most intuitive and easy to understand is to let new technologies be explored quickly, so that consumers can enjoy more advanced configurations and technologies at lower cost. For example, Toyota TNGA architecture models can improve power with lower fuel consumption, and the low center of gravity design brings better driving quality and better safety performance.

Perhaps these are what the platform can do, but what the platform can do may be limited to this. For Toyota, TNGA architecture is still the self-subversion and continuous evolution of production methods and research and development methods.

Production and R&D evolution brought by TNGA architecture Under Toyota's traditional CE system, every model is planned and developed with CE engineers as the center. For a global enterprise like Toyota, the final product may have 100 platforms and more than 800 engines. ?

The transformation of TNGA architecture is to change this mode, and the traditional CE system has further evolved. After abandoning some contents that are not in line with the future trend of change, the essence is retained: cluster design and development of products, improving efficiency and paying more attention to personalized research, while the generalization of parts can gather engineers' experience and improve from scratch.

These changes may not be directly felt by consumers, but will eventually be transmitted to the market terminal.

The data shows that the labor time of Toyota TNGA architecture development is reduced by 20% compared with the past, but the commodity power is stronger. "Reducing costs and increasing efficiency" for consumers, the result is that the car price is cheaper, but the quality and configuration can be better.

The market has also proved this change.

For example, the sales volume of the mainstream joint venture mid-size car went on the market at the end of 20 17, and the ninth-generation Camry, Toyota's first domestic model with TNGA architecture, sold163,000 vehicles in the first complete sales year on 20 18 (based on the data of the Association), ranking behind Magotan, Passat and Accord.

In 20 19 and 2020, Camry surpassed Magotan and Passat successively, and again surpassed Accord in June 5438+0-August this year, becoming the "sales champion" in the mid-level car market.

The growth of Camry is a microcosm of Toyota's performance in various market segments in recent years. It may not have rushed to the first place, but compared with the previous generation, its influence and attention have been significantly improved.

Another example is Carola and Lei Ling. The brand-new model under the blessing of Toyota TNGA architecture has a more distinctive product image in the compact family car market, especially known for its excellent safety performance, which will also help Toyota to further enhance its share in this highly competitive market segment.

This year, Corolla and Lei Ling launched vehicles equipped with the latest TNGA 1.5L engines, further amplifying the advantages of TNGA architecture.

TNGA 1.5L Engine The 1.5L engine built under the framework of TNGA has improved the thermal efficiency and transmission efficiency through a number of advanced technologies, thus improving the fuel economy. At the same time, the direct shift CVT is used as the automatic gearbox of TNGA, and with the abundant low-speed torque of TNGA 1.5L engine, better power output and lower acceleration lag are achieved. And it has the quietness and lower fuel consumption performance comparable to higher-level models.

Toyota Corolla

Previously mentioned "platform", there is always "Taowa" in the associative vocabulary derived from it. However, after the introduction of TNGA architecture, Toyota not only quickly increased the product launch speed in China market, but also showed different style positioning even though FAW Toyota and GAC Toyota both launched the same class models.

Toyota Ralink

The reason behind this is that TNGA architecture brings more freedom for each product than "platform", which makes different models realize the universality of parts and can also obtain different design and driving experiences, thus meeting the individual needs of consumers.

This also makes the Toyota products presented to consumers through TNGA architecture diverse and rich, which can be the personality of Yize /C-HR, the reliability of Corolla/Lei Ling and the luxury of Highlander/Crown Fang Lu. This adds new labels to the Toyota brand, such as youth, technology and personality. ?

Forward to the future

One of the key words of Toyota TNGA architecture is "self-subversion and continuous evolution".

For example, TNGA architecture itself is breaking the industry tradition and establishing ideas and methods that are more suitable for building cars in the future. And this concept, in the face of the rapid changes in the digitalization and electrification of the automobile industry, actually helped Toyota adapt to the new competition more quickly. ?

For example, e-TNGA, as an extension of Toyota TNGA architecture to electrification, represents the evolution of Toyota in the new four modernizations.

At present, many new brands or pure electric platforms of traditional car companies will mention the universality of the platform, which can efficiently develop various models and provide different drive layouts. ?

But on e-TNGA, Toyota has already led the industry trend.

The wheelbase, number of batteries and front and rear suspension dimensions of e-TNGA architecture can be flexibly adjusted, so it can meet the different needs from compact to large, from cars to cross-border vehicles. At the same time, it can provide front and rear drive and four-wheel drive layout, and even develop minivans based on e-TNGA architecture.

Schematic diagram of e-TNGA architecture

And some thorny problems in the development of pure electric vehicles, such as the safety and reliability of battery system, and the driving pleasure of electric vehicles beyond acceleration, can also be solved by e-TNGA.

E-TNGA continues the advantages of TNGA architecture in body stiffness, handling stability, driving performance and safety, which makes the design of pure electric vehicles "foster strengths and avoid weaknesses". Just like an answer sheet has given half of the reference answers, then candidates have more energy and time to better answer the remaining questions.

The automobile industry is undergoing tremendous changes, and electrification and digitalization are changing products, production methods and industrial chain division. But the constant is "making better cars".

Under such changes, traditional car companies need to have the determination to change, need to have an accurate judgment on the future development direction, and also need to meet the challenges of profits and carbon emissions. Changes in game rules, production methods and products have also given more opportunities for new players to enter the game.

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