Japan’s largest automaker, Toyota Motor, is laying off workers in China as the company struggles to keep up in the world’s biggest EV market.
Toyota lays off workers amid China’s EV transition
Japanese automakers are stumbling in China’s evolving auto landscape. According to a new report from Reuters, Toyota’s joint venture with China’s Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) laid off workers this weekend, offering them compensation.
Three workers who were affected said the move comes as the Japanese automaker is struggling in China’s ultra-competitive auto market that’s rapidly transitioning to EVs.
The joint venture’s factory in China employs around 19,000 people, producing models such as Toyota’s first EV, the bZ4X, alongside the Camry and Levin models.
Toyota launched the bZ4X in China in October 2022 with a starting price of 199,800 yuan (around $19,000). However, after several market leaders, including BYD and Tesla, cut prices, Toyota failed to gain traction.
The Japanese automaker sold 3,844 bZ4X models in China through January, representing just 0.26% of China’s EV market.
Toyota bZ4X (Source: Toyota)
To boost sales and remain competitive, the automaker slashed prices by 15% in response earlier in February, with a new starting price of around 169,800 yuan ($24,800).
So far, the move has failed to make a difference, with EV sales falling 9% in the first six months of the year.
Despite launching its first electric sedan in China earlier this year, the BYD-powered bZ3 starting at 189,800 yuan ($27,000), Toyota (through FAW-Toyota) is recalling (not OTA) over 12.2K bZ3 electric sedans over defective rear door handles.
Toyota bZ3 electric sedan (Source: FAW-Toyota)
After taking over for longtime leader and grandson to the company’s founder (Akio Toyoda) in April, former Lexus branding chief officer Koji Sato said Toyota would need to act urgently to keep up in China’s EV market.
After seeing the impact of EVs at the Shanghai Auto Show, Sato explained:
We need to increase our speed and efforts to firmly meet the customer expectations in the Chinese market.
Meanwhile, Toyota is not the only Japanese automaker suffering in China amid the country’s shift to EVs.
Former CEO Akio Toyoda with Toyota’s EV concepts (Source: Toyota)
China’s EV market takes a toll on Japanese automakers
According to the China Association of Automobile Association, Japanese automakers’ market share in the region has fallen from 20% last year to 14.9% in the first half of 2023.
Electric vehicle sales in China reached over 2 million through the first five months of the year, up 51.5% YOY as buyers continue adopting EVs at a record pace.
Japanese automakers, who have been arguably the biggest laggards in the EV market, are feeling the pinch the most.
For example, Mitsubishi Motors revealed in a memo last week it was suspending operations in China indefinitely after sales fell drastically. The memo (via Bloomberg) stated:
In the past few months, management and shareholders have tried to the best of our ability, but due to market conditions and with great reluctance and regret, we must seize the opportunity to transition to new energy vehicles. The company will resurrect after going through trials and tribulations.
After peaking at over 134K in 2019, Mitsubishi’s sales have fallen significantly, with only 34.5K vehicles sold in 2022. The decline in sales correlates with China’s booming EV market, fueled by clean energy incentives and other government initiatives.
Mitsubishi China sales (Source: Bloomberg)
Nearly all Japanese automakers, including Honda, Mazda, and Nissan, are seeing sales fall in China due to a lack of electric vehicle models to compete with domestic automakers.
Sales of Chinese brands accounted for 53% of the market through the first half of the year as domestic EV makers like BYD, NIO, Li Auto, and XPeng continue to grab market share with unique models in essentially every segment.
Electrek’s Take
Although Electrek has been saying it for years, Japan’s reluctance to produce electric vehicles is already starting to cost them.
China is the world’s leading EV market as the industry continues to adopt electric cars at a record pace.
Last year, a Climate Group report warned Japan could risk a 14% drop in GDP if it failed to boost EV output, and it continues to look more and more apparent that’s the direction we are headed.
Japanese automakers are not the only ones feeling the heat. Volkswagen, which has been a leader in China, saw sales drop 3.6% last year and was surpassed by BYD in passenger car sales for the first half of the year.
In light of this, most automakers mentioned here have recently ramped up EV efforts, including investing in battery tech, dedicated EV platforms, and more efficient models.
Japan is increasing support to advance storage battery tech with over 330 billion yen ($2.3B) in subsidies. Toyota is set to receive nearly 120 billion yen ($847M) of it to fuel its recently revealed EV battery plans.
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The Tesla Cybertruck used in the Las Vegas bombing appears to have landed in an auction for sale as salvaged, still destroyed. CEO Elon Musk said Tesla would put it back on the road.
Good luck with that.
In January, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded at the Trump Tower in Las Vegas.
The driver is believed to have shot himself in the head right before the vehicle exploded. Evidence proved that some firework mortars and gas canisters were inside the Cybertruck’s bed.
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After the explosion, Tesla CEO Elon Musk praised the Cybertruck for “containing” the explosion and reducing the damage.
He even went as far as claiming that the powertrain was still working and that Tesla would rebuild the Cybertruck and bring it back on the road:
“Once we get this Cybertruck back to Tesla, we’ll buff out the scratches and get it back on the road.”
When questioned about the seriousness of this statement, he affirmed, “No, I mean it.”
They clearly haven’t yet because the Cybertruck has now shown up as a salvaged vehicle for auction on IAA’s site:
It’s not clear if Tesla had an opportunity to get the truck until now, but they certainly could buy it now.
Electrek’s Take
Good luck rebuilding the truck. Maybe they can salvage the battery pack and motors in a new truck, but there’s no way or point to salvage the chassis.
Elon has already confirmed that Tesla engineers have looked at the car. I’m sure that they had the opportunity to get it from the insurance company.
I bet that Tesla doesn’t want the car, and it won’t be back on the road as Elon claimed. You can add it to the list of lies he told this year. Are we in the hundreds already? And we are only in March.
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What’s better than an all-electric boat? An all-electric boat with a hot tub in it. Niche boatbuilder Spacruzzi made waves (but limited wake) last year with an electric hot tub boat model showcased around the US, including Lake Tahoe and even on the Chicago River. For 2025, Spacruzzi has introduced a sleeker and more refined version of its electric boat and opened its waiting list for a limited number of builds scheduled for this year.
Spacruzzi is a marine vessel developer whose flagship product shares the same name and looks to stand out as a luxury option for both private owners and rental operators. Per the company website:
While there have been other versions of hot tub boats on the market over the years, nothing comes close to matching the experience of a Spacruzzi. From the attention to detail, luxury finishes and patent pending features to the outstanding build quality and ease of ownership – we have set out to create the most sought after experience on the water. We built Spacruzzi to provide an unforgettable experience to the end user while giving rental operators and entrepeneuers an exciting new offering to build and grow their business and it is our mission to enable this industry to thrive.
Each electric boat is designed, fabricated, and assembled by hand at Spacruzzi’s facilities in Polson, Montana. They arrive fully compliant for anyone and everyone to operate and deliver mobility technology that exceeds environmental regulations.
A previous version of the Spacruzzi electric hot tub boat appeared on the FOX game show Snake Oil, and several were put into rental operations on the Chicago River—available even during some of the colder months.
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Recently, Spacruzzi introduced an updated version of its electric hot-tub boat featuring a more luxurious look and feel. Additionally, a select few can put a deposit down to secure one for themselves this year.
Spacruzzi introduces upgrades to its 2025 hot tub boat
The images above show the updated version of Spacruzzi’s electric hot tub boat. This model is 15.6 feet long and 8.2 feet wide, with a draft of only 2.75 feet, enabling it to navigate shallow waters. When on the water, the Spacruzzi electric hot tub boat offers room for 6 passengers and weighs about 4,500 pounds at max capacity, alongside 400 gallons of water in the tub itself, which can be heated to up to 104℉.
The hot tub boat is propelled by a 3.0 Torqeedo electric motor pod that delivers approximately 3-5 horsepower, translating to 4-5 mph speeds on the water. A USCG-compliant propane heater supports the vessel’s hot tub operations, and two compartments aft of the vessel offer room for up to four lithium battery packs capable of powering the motor, heater, and internal water treatment system for up to 16 hours.
Each boat includes one battery pack that can deliver between four and five hours of running time on a single charge. Each boat also has AC charging capabilities, but Spacruzzi can add fast charging for an additional fee. Speaking of fees, Spacruzzi shared that it has opened its waitlist for its 2025 hot tub boat production schedule.
Interested individuals or businesses can secure an electric hot tub boat build with a $2,500 non-refundable deposit. When Spacruzzi is ready to assemble your vessel, it requires a 50% deposit minus the $2,500 waitlist deposit. The final 50% payment is due when the order is complete; it will be shipped to your specified destination. Spacruzzi says builds take about 90-100 days after receiving the 50% production deposit. Per Spacruzzi, the base price of its updated boat is $68,500.
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Ford is investing billions in Europe as it struggles to keep pace with the wave of Chinese and other low-cost EVs hitting the market. With another 4.4 billion euros ($4.8 billion) in funding, Ford looks to turn things around, but it’s also calling on lawmakers to do more.
Ford injects billions in Europe to fight Chinese EVs
With “significant losses” over the past few years, Ford is restructuring its business in Europe as it aims to cut costs and simplify operations.
Back in November, the American automaker said it planned to cut another 4,000 jobs in Europe by 2027, blaming “lower-than-expected” demand and mounting pressure from new EVs entering the market, including Chinese brands like BYD and SAIC’s MG.
Ford announced plans to invest another 4.4 billion euros ($4.8 billion) on Monday to support its transformation. The funds will be used to reduce the growing debt at its German subsidiary, Ford-werke GmbH.
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In a statement, the company said the new capital injection will help reduce debt at Ford plants in Germany and fund a multi-year business plan. Ford’s German unit has about 5.8 billion euros ($6.3 billion) of debt.
Ford Explorer EV production in Cologne (Source: Ford)
Ford Motor Company’s vice chairman, John Lawler, explained, “With the new capital for our German subsidiary, we are driving the transformation of our business in Europe and strengthening our competitiveness with a new product range.”
Lawler stressed the need to “simplify our structures, reduce costs and increase efficiency” if it wants to compete. He added that Europe needs “a clear political agenda” to promote EV adoption that aligns with consumer demand.
Ford’s electric vehicles in Europe from left to right: Puma Gen-E, Explorer, Capri, and Mustang Mach-E (Source: Ford)
Over the past few years, Ford has invested heavily in Europe to better compete, including $2 billion to upgrade its Cologne manufacturing plant to produce EVs.
The plant builds two models, Ford’s electric Explorer and Capri. Although Ford revealed its fourth EV for Europe (including the Mustang Mach-E) in December, the Puma Gen-E is being built in Romania.
Electrek’s Take
Can Ford spark life back into its European business? It’s not the only one struggling to keep up with new competition, Volkswagen is also cutting jobs in its home market and is even considering closing plants.
Chinese auto brands market share in Europe (Source: JATO Dynamics)
Legacy automakers, like Ford and Volkswagen, have been caught off guard by Chinese EV leaders like BYD’s aggressive expansion overseas to drive growth.
According to Jato Dynamics, Chinese brands are quickly gaining traction in Europe. In January 2025, 37,134 Chinese vehicles were registered, a 52% increase from the previous year. During the same time, Chinese brands’ market share grew from 2.4% to 3.7%. Combined, it would now put them ahead of Ford.
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