Slowing demand for electric vehicles, rising trade tensions and questions about whether traditional Western automakers can attract Chinese consumers will be the talk of the North. Kinh as executives from the world's leading auto brands arrive in the capital to attend the Beijing Auto Show.
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Japanese Toyota cars will pair up with China Tencent while Nissan will cooperate with BaiduThe cross-border partnerships aim to highlight the importance of artificial intelligence for automakers, the companies said on Thursday.
Separate announcements from Japan's two largest automakers at the Beijing auto show also underscored Japanese manufacturers' efforts to cope with major technological changes that have disrupted their positions. their once enviable position in the Chinese market.
Just a few years ago, Japanese auto companies were among the most prominent foreign brands in China. More recently, they were abandoned when local producers took the lead by BYD has grabbed market share with software-filled electric cars aimed at young drivers.
Both Tencent, the gaming and social media giant, and Baidu, China's leading search engine, are leaders in the country's innovative AI race.
Toyota, the world's largest automaker by volume, will incorporate technology from tech giant Tencent into a Chinese-made passenger car that will go on sale this year, said Yiming Xu, chief executive officer of the company. Toyota's brand and communications director in China, said.
The companies will provide services through Tencent's strengths in big data, AI and cloud computing, Xu said.
Nissan said it and Baidu have signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct research on AI and so-called “smart cars.” Nissan will use Baidu's synthetic AI on its platform to study the feasibility of future technology development.
They will also equip Chinese cars with Baidu's AI products.
The partnerships also show how competitive China has become for automakers, even global giants like Toyota.
Foreign automakers are struggling to prove they can still survive in China, amid pressure from the shift to electric vehicles, the rise of domestic brands and price wars. .
Toyota has seen sales decline, although it has avoided sharp shocks Honda's mortobike and Nissan did.
Its China sales fell 1.7% to 1.9 million vehicles in 2023, the second consecutive year of decline.
Toyota also displayed two new battery electric vehicle models for the Chinese market at the Beijing exhibition.
