Business · Companies · 3 hrs ago
Japanese automakers aim to develop new models faster
Japanese automakers are working to develop new models faster as they compete with Chinese rivals.
Japanese companies typically take four to five years to develop a vehicle, while Chinese companies can take less than two.
Nissan plans to use shared platforms for related models, aiming to cut development time for some follow-on vehicles by up to 40 percent.
Honda's “Triple Half” plan aims to halve development costs, time frames and workloads from 2025 levels, with the effort starting on models whose development begins in 2028.
Toyota is reducing the variety of parts it uses and aims to improve factory floor-space use by 35 percent.
Suzuki wants to cut development time to around two years, while Mitsubishi aims to reduce it by 20 percent to three years by around 2030.
The changes are meant to help Japanese carmakers respond to customer demand more quickly.
Japanese automakers are seeking to shorten vehicle development times to compete with Chinese rivals that bring new models to market faster.
Japanese companies typically take four to five years to develop a model, compared with less than two years for Chinese companies.
Nissan plans to use shared platforms for related models, while Honda, Toyota, Suzuki and Mitsubishi Motors are also pursuing changes to speed development.
Nissan says its new product strategy will cover 80 percent of global sales and reduce the number of part types by 70 percent.
The companies say faster development and fewer parts can help them respond to customer needs and improve productivity.
- Who
- Japanese automakers, including Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Suzuki and Mitsubishi Motors.
- What
- They are working to shorten vehicle development times and bring new models to market faster.
- When
- The plans include initiatives starting from 2025 levels, new model development beginning in 2028, and targets around 2030.
- Where
- The efforts concern the companies’ vehicle development and global markets. Nissan plans an SUV launch in North America.
- Why
- To catch up with Chinese rivals that introduce models more quickly and respond better to changing customer demand.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Honda’s Triple Half approach is designed to halve development costs, time frames and workloads from 2025 levels.
Nissan plans to launch a new SUV in North America, and Honda’s new initiatives will begin with models whose development starts that year.
Mitsubishi Motors aims to shorten development time by 20 percent to three years by around 2030.
- Typical Japanese development time
- Around four to five years
- Chinese development time
- Less than two years
- Nissan strategy coverage
- 80 percent of global sales
- Nissan part-type reduction target
- 70 percent
- Nissan derivative-model development target
- Up to 40 percent shorter, to two and a half years
- Suzuki development-time target
- Around two years
What people are saying
This is a reform to become a company that responds to changes and delivers good cars in a timely manner