Don't worry, this sentence is not aimed at you, although you really can't drive.
18 years ago, Akio Toyoda returned to Japan from the United States and met Hiroshi Sese, the chief test driver of Toyota. He was caught off guard and suffered such a beating. The "grandson" of the Toyota family was over 40 years old at that time and had just returned from the position of vice president of Toyota's American subsidiary and was promoted to the Toyota board of directors.
Akio Toyoda likes driving. When he was a child, his dream was to be a taxi driver, just because it was a profession where he could drive every day. He is proud of his excellent driving skills, has a high-level driver's license and holds an important position in the company. Unexpectedly, he is over 40 years old, and his test drivers despise him to this extent.
Cheng Sibo is definitely not an idle person who dares to teach the company executives face to face. Master 65438-0963 entered Toyota Motor Company, started as a mechanic, and gradually became the chief test driver of Toyota through extraordinary driving skills. Driver), Toyota's test driver system is cultivated by him. What is the concept of chief test driver? If Toyota is a kitchen, he is a chef, and it is up to him to decide what the "taste" of each Toyota car is.
Seisehiro is undoubtedly a driving wizard. When the thickness of the rubber gasket is increased by two millimeters, he can capture the difference in driving feeling. This kind of sensitivity to the dynamic performance of the car is beyond people's reach, and he is also honored as the "Hall-level test driver". He participated in the development of famous sports cars in Toyota history, such as 2000GT, AE86, Celica, MR2, Supra, Atezza and so on. It is also the "LFA godfather" of Lexus supercar.
Naruhiro Naruhiro said to Akio Toyoda, "It's really annoying for a person in a high position like you to get into the car and make irresponsible remarks without even knowing the most basic driving." Then I thought I was obedient, and then I said, if you want to learn to drive, just follow? Me.
Akio Toyoda is a racing driver. He was delayed by the family business. His elders objected to his participation in racing activities for safety reasons, and the company's top management also felt that racing did not match his identity. After worshipping the master Sese Hiro, Akio Toyoda's racing dreams was rekindled. With his rising position in the company, he was finally able to rely on his power to squeeze through the crowd. In 2007, Akio Toyoda, then vice president of Toyota Motor Corporation, started racing. At that time, he was over 50 years old. After being promoted to president in 2009, he promoted Toyota to participate in WRC and various endurance races. He himself will leave the field several times a year and gallop on the track. Akio Toyoda, 64, still enjoys flying life. Just last month, he drove a GR? YARIS and his teammates won the trophy in the Fuji 24 Hours Endurance Race.
20 10 when testing Lexus super-running LFA at the Nurburgring circuit in Germany, Seihiro Sese was killed in a car accident, and Akio Toyoda lost his mentor and personally took over as the chief test driver.
Akio Toyoda has been the chief test driver for 65,438+00 years. This "chef" depends on his own feelings to decide what is "the taste of Toyota" and what is "the taste of Lexus". This "taste" cannot be quantified, there are no written rules, and all kinds of test data are useless. The only thing we can rely on is the instantaneous intuition of the chief test driver.
Until now, Akio Toyoda has not found a suitable candidate to replace him. "At Toyota Motor Corporation, no second person can do it."
Akio Toyoda's prestige and power in the company is at its peak. At the just-concluded Beijing Auto Show, both Toyota booth and Lexus booth, as well as Japanese and China executives frequently mentioned "Chairman Akio Toyoda" and his instructions at the press conference. One of the famous sayings is: "Why do people take cars and drive? Getting this answer is the mission of Lexus. "
This is a good question. Li Hui, executive deputy general manager of Lexus China, announced the answer: "As President Akio Toyoda described,' driving this car, I can change back to my true self and find myself again'".
Driving by car is to "find yourself"? This answer is like the front of a Zen master, and perhaps only the speaker knows what it means.
After becoming the president of Toyota Motor Corporation, Akio Toyoda proposed to make Toyota Motor Corporation interesting. Where to? Driving? Again.
He revived the once famous sports cars Toyota 86 and Supra, and also introduced a brand-new TNGA framework, which made the new Toyota model have a lower center of gravity and improved handling.
However, Toyota still smells familiar when driving. Perhaps the eighth generation Camry is more "sporty" than the previous generation, but compared with other brands at the same level, it is still relatively mild and plain. Lexus ES, the first car under the framework of TNGA, has a sharp appearance, but it still drives in an unparalleled Buddhist style.
Toyota has always given people the impression that it is "golden mean", mature and steady, but it does not lose in all aspects. This is the traditional taste of Toyota. Akio Toyoda has been the president/kloc-0 for more than 0 years, and has been trying to promote the change of Toyota's brand image, trying to build a younger and more sporty Toyota.
In developed countries, especially Japan and Europe, the younger generation no longer loves cars as much as their parents, and many young people are not even interested in cars. The appearance and function of cars must be changed by young people to attract their attention, and driving pleasure has also become a reason why young people fall in love with cars.
However, Akio Toyoda must be very clear that driving pleasure is only a dispensable element of daily use. Toyota can grow into the world's largest automobile manufacturer, never by driving pleasure, but by being easy to drive and being known for its reliability and durability.
It's hard to imagine that Cheng Sehong, a "hall-class test driver", doesn't know how to train a car full of driving pleasure, but during his decades as a "chef", he set the keynote for Toyota in driving as "easy driving" rather than "sports".
As a direct disciple of Sese Hiro, Akio Toyoda knew this well, but he added more "sports" seasoning to the formula. Toyota is now promoting the "movement" brought by TNGA architecture over and over again. Many people also think that TNGA has changed Toyota magically, but is this really the case?
Can Toyota owners drive? They are not great drivers, and they seldom have the idea of "passion" in driving, but they seem to know why they want to buy a car, especially a Toyota.
Seisehiro's greatness lies not only in his extraordinary sensitivity to the dynamic performance of cars, but also in his extremely sober mind, which can calmly select useful parts from the driving experience of the track for the development and adjustment of daily-use cars. Toyota is not a racing car manufacturer. Toyota's cars are everyday family cars. The essence is that they can control easily, instead of running the track at the fastest speed.
For car users, driving pleasure is hierarchical. The most primitive and basic happiness is freedom of action. On top of this, there is also the control pleasure of "people and cars in one". The highest level is that you can control a "difficult to drive" car, just like taming a fierce horse. The latter only belongs to those fanatical car fans, as Akio Toyoda said: "I like those cars that are not easy to drive, but they give me the idea of' driving at will in the morning and evening'." Yes, the Lexus supercar LFA developed by Naruhiro Naruhiro and Akio Toyoda is such an "unruly car".
Driving a car every day, as long as its performance is reliable and easy to use, can help people realize their freedom of movement; If there is a good sense of communication between people and cars, it will increase some fun. For example, BMW has always stressed that it is the "ultimate driving machine". One of the charms of Toyota is its low failure rate, which will not easily hinder people from getting the most basic fun. Once the car breaks down on the road, where is the fun?
In fact, the so-called manipulation pleasure is becoming scarcer and scarcer in this world. It's not that cars can't work, but that congested roads almost kill all the fun of driving. Sports are still not free. Where can we talk about the passionate driving of people and cars?
Young people in Japan and Europe are less and less interested in cars, which is directly related to the road congestion during daily commuting. Driving is not a good choice, but subway buses and bicycles are more efficient. In April last year, Akio Toyoda was invited to give a speech in Tsinghua University. It is also a convenient choice for him to take the subway from his hotel and then go to Tsinghua campus by bike.
As a new automobile market, young people in China are enthusiastic about buying cars, but they begin to feel the pain of traffic jams early. Not only traffic jams, but also turning around to find parking spaces and expensive parking fees also affect a good mood. In such an environment, the pleasure of driving becomes elusive.
Finally, let me talk about my personal experience. I got my driver's license 20 years ago, and at about the same time, I got my first daily car. In these 20 years, I have been driving for more than ten years, and I have serious car dependence; I don't remember when it started. I became who I am now. I can go out without driving.
My daily means of transportation, such as going to work, going out to do business, gathering and socializing, are now basically enjoying electric bicycles by * * *. I have accumulated rich riding experience, and with my favorite brand, I can quickly lock the one with the best condition from the motorcycles parked on the street. I fell in love with the feeling of running freely in the city. When I turn the handlebar to speed up, I can even hear the wind blowing in my ear. The song of private designated cycling reverberates in my heart: ride my beloved scooter, toot, toot, toot ... ride my beloved scooter, it will never get stuck in traffic-
Yes, although I am an old driver who has been driving for 20 years, I am obviously the kind of person who doesn't know how to drive, and now I have no desire to touch the car. Since I don't understand, I have no face to get into the car and make irresponsible remarks. To tell the truth, the power and chassis adjustment team of automobile manufacturers is much more professional than us. Toyota cars make people feel "insensitive" when driving, and many people show disdain for it. As we all know, this is the unique taste of Toyota blended by the master, which is obviously in line with the taste of the public. Last year, the best-selling model in the world was Toyota Corolla, which opened like boiling water-and it has been the best-selling model in the world for many years.
We are all people who don't know how to drive, which is nothing. Anyway, not many people really understand.
It doesn't matter if you don't understand, as long as the people who build cars understand;
Don't pretend to understand if you don't understand, gossiping is a waste of other people's time;
Don't say "manipulation" if you have nothing to do. It is shameful to enlarge garlic cloves.
Can't cook, can't eat? Every brand has its own flavor, we can taste it casually, and the taste we like is good. ? Text/Fu Xuefeng
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.