After Tesla announced a breakthrough in integrated die-casting technology, Toyota, the world's best-selling automobile company, also recently disclosed the integrated die casting technology developed by them. According to Toyota, before using integrated die-cast technology, a complete rear body required about 86 different parts and 33 independent processes to assemble. This complex process normally takes several hours to complete, but only a single part and a simple process for the rear of the body are needed after applying the integrated die-cast process. Toyota plans to further reduce the time and shorten the process to about 3 minutes. This technology aims to further reduce production processes and costs, thereby increasing profits in the electric vehicle field where it is difficult to make profits through traditional manufacturing methods.
 
This technology is even more obvious at the front of the body, which has a more complex structure. Toyota said that traditional manufacturing methods require the use of 91 parts and 51 processes. With the use of integrated die-cast technology, parts and processes can also be simplified into one single component and process.
 
Although this manufacturing process improvement has significantly improved compared to the traditional process, it still lags behind Tesla. According to Tesla's latest exposure to information related to the integrated die-cast process, Tesla is now capable of integrating die casting of almost all underbody components, which will help Tesla halve its production costs again. Tesla also has a cost advantage in vehicle development by using 3D printers on test molds. Relevant sources said that by applying this method in the field of design verification, the cost of the model can be reduced to only 3% of that of traditional metal models.
 
To catch up with Tesla's advantage in manufacturing costs, Toyota also changed its production methods. At Toyota's Aichi Honmachi plant, Toyota has partially implemented a production method that does not rely on conveyor belts. According to Toyota, assembled vehicles are transported from point to point in the factory through sensor recognition and limited autonomous driving technology. While this reduces production line investment, it also allows Toyota to change the internal structure of its factory in a short time.
 
After a decade of hesitation on its electric transformation, Toyota is accelerating to catch up with Tesla. In addition to the recently exposed production process improvements and the application of integrated die-cast processes, Toyota announced a major technological breakthrough in solid-state batteries in July this year; in addition, through the application of generative AI technology, Toyota is expected to accelerate work efficiency in the model development process.
 
Data shows that Tesla's global sales in 2022 will be approximately 1.31 million vehicles, while Toyota's sales of pure electric vehicles will be only 24,000. However, after completing breakthroughs in battery technology and applying AI, integrated die-cast and autonomous driving technologies, Toyota hopes to quickly catch up with Tesla's sales. Toyota hopes to achieve annual sales of 1.5 million pure electric models by 2026. This number is more than 60 times the sales volume in 2022.