丰田如何失去中国市场的

How Toyota Lost China

丰田如何失去中国市场的

In the spring of 2025, a curious scene unfolded at a car showroom in Shanghai.

A Toyota dealership, once buzzing with buyers eager for reliable Camry and Corollas, now sat nearly empty on a weekend afternoon. Just down the road, a BYD outlet teemed with energy, packed with curious shoppers examining the latest electric SUVs and sedans. This stark contrast captures a dramatic shift in the world's largest auto market.

Once a symbol of automotive excellence and pragmatism, Toyota is suddenly struggling to excite Chinese car buyers. How did it come to this? How did Toyota, famed for its pioneering hybrids and bulletproof reliability, find itself lagging behind in China's electric vehicle boom? This is the central conundrum. A company that long bet on hybrid efficiency now faces an identity crisis in the very market that's racing fastest toward an electric future. To understand Toyota's losing battle in China, we need to explore the story behind their strategy, the whirlwind changes in China's EV landscape, and the hard lessons being learned in real time.

2025 年春季，上海一家汽车展厅里出现了一幕耐人寻味的场景。

曾经，丰田 4S 店里挤满了渴望买到可靠凯美瑞（Camry）和卡罗拉（Corolla）的消费者，而如今在一个周末下午，店里却几乎空无一人。不远处的比亚迪（BYD）门店则截然相反，人气十足，好奇的消费者挤满了展厅，仔细打量着最新款的电动 SUV 和电动轿车。这鲜明的对比，恰恰折射出全球最大汽车市场正在发生的剧烈变革。

曾是汽车行业卓越品质与实用主义代名词的丰田，如今突然难以打动中国消费者。事情为何会发展到这一步？以开创性混合动力技术和极致可靠性闻名的丰田，又为何会在中国电动汽车热潮中逐渐掉队？这便是核心谜题所在。长期押注混合动力能效的丰田，在这个向电动化未来冲刺最快的市场里，突然陷入了身份危机。要理解丰田在中国市场的这场 “失利之战”，我们需要探究其战略背后的故事、中国电动汽车领域翻天覆地的变化，以及当下正在吸取的深刻教训。

Toyota's modern reputation was built on what you might call the "hybrid bet." Over two decades ago, Toyota introduced the Prius, the world's first mass-market hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). At the time, it was a revolutionary compromise between gasoline and electric—a car that could sip fuel and cut emissions without relying on charging stations. This pragmatic approach wasn't just a one-hit wonder; it became a core philosophy. Toyota doubled down on hybrids, refining the technology and rolling it out across their lineup. By the 2010s, Toyota was the undisputed global leader in hybrid cars, selling millions of them and establishing a green image without ever plugging into a wall.

This hybrid strategy was deeply rooted in Toyota's view of the world. For years, the company's leadership—most notably former CEO and current chairman Akio Toyota—preached a "multipathway" approach to clean vehicles. While many rivals announced all-electric futures, Toyota insisted that hybrids and even hydrogen fuel cell vehicles were a smarter bridge to a low-emission world. In fact, as recently as early 2024, Toyota publicly predicted that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) might only make up about 30% of global car sales in the long run. The implicit message: don't put all your eggs in the EV basket just yet.

丰田如今的口碑，很大程度上建立在一场可被称作“混合动力豪赌”的决策之上。二十多年前，丰田推出了普锐斯——全球首款量产混合动力汽车（HEV）。在当时，这款车是燃油与电动之间的革命性折中方案：既能节省油耗、减少排放，又无需依赖充电站。这种实用主义路线并非昙花一现，而是逐渐成为丰田的核心理念。丰田不断加大对混合动力技术的投入，一边优化技术，一边将其推广到全系车型中。到2010年代，丰田已成为全球混合动力汽车领域无可争议的领导者，销量数以百万计，无需外接充电就能树立起“环保形象”。

这一混合动力战略，深深植根于丰田对市场的判断。多年来，丰田管理层——尤其是前CEO、现任董事长丰田章男（Akio Toyota）——一直倡导清洁汽车发展的“多路径”理念。当众多竞争对手宣布全面电动化未来时，丰田却坚持认为，混合动力汽车乃至氢燃料电池汽车，才是通往低排放时代更明智的“过渡方案”。事实上，直到2024年初，丰田仍公开预测，从长远来看，纯电动汽车（BEV）在全球汽车销量中的占比可能仅为30%左右。其隐含的意思是：目前无需把所有赌注都押在电动汽车上。

以下是各国网友的评论：

Qiao-Yue
More like How EVERYBODY lost China

更准确地说，应该是“所有车企都是怎么失去中国市场的”

waterdragonclan9108
If BYD can sell cars in the USA, it will bankrupt most of the US car industry. I have been wanting to buy a RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid or a Highlander Hybrid, but there are hardly any available at our local dealership, and they’re really expensive. If I could get a BYD, I would buy one.

要是比亚迪能在美国卖车，多半会让美国大部分汽车行业破产。我一直想买一辆RAV4插电式混合动力车，或者汉兰达混合动力车，可我们当地经销商几乎没现车，而且价格还特别高。要是能买到比亚迪，我早就买了。

razyidiot5309
Lool. Like the other countries, such as those in the EU, that have outright banned Chinese vehicles. Even Russia doesn't want them. They're just piles of cheap metal, with shoddy fit and finish, and major rust spots.

哈哈，就像其他国家一样——比如欧盟那些国家，已经直接禁止中国汽车入境了。连俄罗斯都不要中国车。那些车就是一堆廉价金属，装配工艺粗糙，接缝处理差，还会大面积生锈

fastrabbit2962
Canada is supposed to start selling BYD and other Chinese brands soon. Also, Mexco already has Chinese EVs. The US really doesn’t have a car industry left anymore.

加拿大应该很快就要开始销售比亚迪和其他中国品牌汽车了。而且墨西哥已经有中国电动车在卖了。美国现在其实已经没什么汽车产业可言了。

crazyidiot5309
@fastrabbit2962 It doesn't matter. No Chinese vehicle will ever be cleared by the NHTSA to be on US roads, and nobody who matters will allow them to be sold here. That just won't happen. I don't care what Canada and Mexco do. They're dum grounds, and that's why some parts of the EU have banned the sale of BYD.

这根本不重要。没有任何一款中国汽车能通过美国国家公路交通安全管理局（NHTSA）的审核，获准在美国道路上行驶；而且那些有话语权的人，也绝不会允许中国汽车在这里销售。这种事绝不可能发生。加拿大和墨西哥怎么做我不管，它们就是劣质商品的倾倒场，部分欧盟国家禁止比亚迪销售，也是因为这个原因。

FairuzKhalili
In Malaysia, EV brands like BYD, Chery, Jaecoo, and Geely—along with their joint ventures with local company Proton—are already among the top 10 best-selling brands in Malaysia. Right now, many young customers are starting to buy Chinese car brands.

在马来西亚，比亚迪、奇瑞、捷途、吉利这些电动车品牌，还有它们与当地企业宝腾成立的合资品牌，都已经进入了马来西亚销量前十的品牌榜单。现在很多年轻消费者都开始买中国品牌汽车了。

GeneralFukzamatayu
Has China been waging industrial, commercial, or economic warfare against Japan by promoting engineless battery cars (BEVs)? Death to engineless battery cars (BEVs)! Toyota’s reputation for being ecologically responsible mainly comes from the fuel efficiency of its vehicles (including hybrids/HEVs). Using batteries wastefully for large-scale, mass-market BEV production is neither ecologically sound nor economically sensible.

中国是不是在通过推广无发动机的电池汽车（纯电动车BEV），对日本发动工业、商业或经济战？无发动机的电池汽车（纯电动车BEV）该被淘汰！丰田“环保靠谱”的口碑，主要来自其车型的燃油经济性（包括混合动力车HEV）。大规模量产纯电动车，既不环保，在经济上也不明智。

lloydgordon5958
Joint venture aka technology transfer

所谓的“合资”，说白了就是“技术转移”

SamsonOhsem
Asia's people very hard working

亚洲人工作都很努力。

Thulebeez
Toyota has an opportunity to learn from its BEV R&D investments in China, and those lessons can be replicated in Western markets—allowing Toyota to still stay ahead in global sales.

丰田有机会从其在中国纯电动车（BEV）研发上的投入中吸取经验，这些经验可以复制到西方市场，这样丰田就能在全球销量上继续保持领先。

emikomina
Toyota is still the 3rd best-selling brand in China, behind VW and BYD. Toyota sales in China have been up for the past 6 months. They are doing fine in China.

丰田在中国仍是第三大畅销品牌，仅次于大众和比亚迪。过去6个月，丰田在中国的销量一直在增长，它在中国的表现还不错。

crazyidiot5309
Exactly. This is sensationalized because for BYD, breaking into the US market is a dream—one that will never come true. There will never be a BYD sold on American soil. That’s just a fact.

没错，这篇文章就是在炒作。对比亚迪来说，打入美国市场就是个永远实现不了的梦。美国土地上绝不会有比亚迪的车在售，这是事实。

afunguynamedkawhi7959
But at what price? They have to cut prices drastically to maintain their market share, temporarily.

可这是用什么换来的？为了暂时保住市场份额，丰田不得不大幅降价。

yulusleonard985
Isnt it Nissan? Best selling car Nissan Sylphy. Toyota Camry and Corolla are still way below.

销量第一的不是日产吗？日产轩逸才是最畅销的车，丰田凯美瑞和卡罗拉差远呢

stevoz6743
Toyota does not respect Asia markets too much; their priority is to please Western consumers. Regardless of the economy, this is a mindset issue.

丰田对亚洲市场不够重视，它的首要任务是讨好西方消费者。不管经济形势如何，这都是一个观念问题

InformedKiwi
It’s only a matter of time. China is on a high-growth path for electric vehicles. Toyota has very little to offer in this area. Soon, Toyota’s sales will drop far down the list. The day will come when China bans all new ICE cars—and that includes Toyota’s ICE hybrid cars. That will leave Toyota with almost nothing. A reckoning is coming for Toyota: first in China, then in the rest of the world.

这只是时间问题。中国电动车正处于高速增长阶段，而丰田在这一领域没什么拿得出手的产品。用不了多久，丰田的销量排名就会大幅下滑。总有一天，中国会禁止所有新燃油车销售——丰田的燃油混合动力车也包含在内。到那时，丰田在中国几乎就没什么立足之地了。丰田终将面临清算：先是在中国，然后是在世界其他地方。

silentbull01
All of this is thanks to the former CEO betting on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which ultimately turned out to be a dead end.

这一切都要怪丰田前CEO押注氢燃料汽车，而这条路最终被证明是死胡同。

armchairwarrior963
Toyota, like most Japanese companies, was too stuck in their mindset—only focusing on meeting the demands of the US market.

和大多数日本企业一样，丰田的思维太僵化了，眼里只想着满足美国市场的需求。

emikomina
No, they aren’t. There are a ton of Toyota vehicle models made exclusively for China. A lot of them are even EVs, developed with the help of Chinese partners and collaborators.

不是这样的。丰田有很多专为中国市场打造的车型，其中不少还是和中国合作伙伴共同研发的电动车。

OldManPaul
As a 35-year auto technician, I can say pure EV is the only future. Also, China is the future of EV production—and of manufacturing in general.

作为一名有35年经验的汽车技师，我可以说，未来只可能是纯电动车。而且中国不仅是电动车生产的未来，也是整个制造业的未来。

71M3L4PSE
That is not practical for outside cities.

纯电动车在城市以外的地方根本不实用。

Kaito8888
Toyota investing in China for EV, Hybrids and Hydrogen now.

丰田现在正在中国投资电动车、混合动力车和氢燃料电池车项目。

crazyidiot5309
Hydrogen maybe. Others no. They won't bring their technology into the Chinese market for fear of theft. Toyota didn’t build those (EV/hybrid factories). SAIC and other contracted companies assembled them. Toyota would be extremely stupid to put their newest production equipment in factories located in China—China would just steal the entire production process.

氢能源项目或许还有可能，其他（电动车、混合动力车）就别想了。丰田不会把技术带进中国市场，怕被偷。那些（电动车、混合动力车）工厂不是丰田建的，是上汽和其他签约企业组装的。要是丰田把最新的生产设备放进中国的工厂，那也太蠢了——中国会把整个生产流程都偷走。

YSKWatch
Toyota is building a huge factory in Shanghai for their future EVs (fully owned by Toyota), and they’re also working with some Chinese companies on software.

丰田正在上海建一座大型工厂，以后用于生产电动车（这家工厂由丰田全资控股），同时还在和一些中国企业合作开发软件。

tu2553
We own a Lexus. It will be the last Japanese car our family buys. They (Japanese car brands) are very conservative and way too slow to adopt new technologies.

我们家有一辆雷克萨斯，这会是我们家买的最后一辆日本车。日本汽车品牌太保守了，接受新技术的速度慢得离谱。

erinamak3298
Once China learns your secrets, they want you out. All foreign companies face the same situation.

一旦中国摸清了你的技术机密，就会把你踢出去。所有外国企业都面临着一样的处境。

keangwooichoo6138
Normal. Including airplanes. Watch out, Airbus and Boeing.

这很正常，航空领域也是如此。空客和波音要小心了。

amesdean1143
All Chinese manufacturing has one major Achilles heel—quality.

中国制造业有一个致命弱点——质量问题。

ausmartin1
West is backfiring on China's EVs. Toyota's smart hybrid technology is already paying dividends in Western markets. BYD and China will learn the hard way with their current EV technology.

西方正在对中国电动车采取反制措施。丰田成熟的混合动力技术已经在西方市场见效了。比亚迪和中国现在的电动车技术，早晚要栽大跟头，吃了亏才会明白。

salahalsulaiman
Nonsense. Last month, their (Toyota’s) sales in China were way up. Toyota forever!

胡说八道。上个月丰田在中国的销量还涨了很多。丰田永远最棒！

ThinhNguyen-zn2bn
Toyota's sales in the Chinese market have decreased, but that only makes Toyota—a top global seller—a little poorer. It’s not worth worrying about.

丰田在中国市场的销量确实下降了，但这顶多让丰田（全球销量顶尖的车企）少赚一点钱而已，根本不值得担心。

adeboyea3249
Sell your cars if you can, but stop the propaganda. I have nothing against Chinese cars, but they still need decades of data to prove they’re reliable. BYD may have the design and innovation to compete with Tesla and other EV brands, but BYD (and China) is still far from building reliable ICE vehicles.

有本事就卖车，别搞宣传炒作。我对中国汽车没意见，但它们还需要几十年的数据来证明自己可靠。比亚迪或许有能和特斯拉及其他电动车品牌竞争的设计和创新能力，但比亚迪（以及中国）要造出可靠的燃油车，还有很长的路要走。

yulusleonard985
They (BYD) stopped producing ICE cars a few years ago. Now they produce BEVs—they even make the Toyota bZ3—and PHEVs (plug-in hybrids), which are also used in Toyota’s latest PHEV models. If you want an ICE car, try GAC or FAW—they produce Toyota models—or SAIC, which produces VW models.

比亚迪几年前就不产燃油车了，现在只产纯电动车（甚至还代工生产丰田bZ3）和插电式混合动力车（PHEV），而且比亚迪的插电混动技术也用在了丰田最新的插电混动车型上。要是想买燃油车，可以看看广汽或一汽——它们生产丰田车型，还有上汽，生产大众车型。

dennisrichards7994
No, they don’t. Chinese EVs and plug-in hybrids are flying off the shelves here in Australia!

才不是呢。中国的电动车和插电式混合动力车在澳大利亚卖得特别火，都抢着买！

taosir8571
China could turn Toyota's sales to zero overnight.

中国随时能让丰田的销量一夜归零。

yangerek78
China is NOT the future—it’s just a bridge leading us to the future. You could say China is a test bed for all technologies.

中国不是未来，只是通往未来的一座桥梁。可以说，中国就是各种技术的试验场。

srj607able
Good, Toyota doesn't need China.

挺好，丰田根本不需要中国市场。