Tables Turned: GAC Now Teaching Toyota, Sharing Its EV Technology with Japan
Just a few years ago, China’s GAC was learning from Toyota. Somewhere along the way, the roles quietly reversed.
A few years back, Chinese automaker GAC was looking to Toyota for guidance, adopting the Japanese company’s experience and technologies. But times have changed, and today it’s GAC’s engineers who are passing their own innovations to the Japanese auto giant.
The shift was highlighted by Masato Katsumata, Toyota’s chief technology officer, during a media briefing at their joint venture in Guangzhou. According to him, the most significant knowledge transfer is happening in the electric-vehicle space — an area where Chinese manufacturers have surged ahead and are now sharing their advancements with Toyota.
The GAC–Toyota partnership began in 2004, the same year the companies opened a factory in Guangzhou dedicated to assembling Toyota vehicles.
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