Have you ever seen the roads in India?

I've seen them online.

The scene is usually like this: a sedan blocked behind a cow, motorcycles running wild nearby, even milk tea vendors nearby, so "clean and hygienic".

However, in a place where many feel physically uncomfortable after watching, Toyota, Suzuki, Honda and other Japanese car companies decided to bet on India.

According to the Indian "Brand Quality Foundation" website, the three car companies will invest nearly $11 billion to build factories, increase capacity, and develop exports in India.

Some netizens commented: Did the three Japanese car companies have too much money?

In fact, they didn't have endless money to spend, nor were they bewildered by Indian curry. These Japanese car executives are much clearer than us.

Current Japanese car revenue and market share are declining. Raw material costs are soaring. Looking at the world map, finding a market that can accommodate capacity, expand share, and has gentle competition is not easy.

So, it wasn't that Japanese car companies chose India, but because they had no choice.

The Pain of Japanese Car Companies

Past Japanese cars were truly the envy of others.

Ask old drivers who drove Japanese cars over ten years ago, talking about Japanese cars, almost no one doesn't give a thumbs up, cheap price, fuel saving, durable...

Even many Japanese cars needed to be bought at a markup, but who would think this iron fortress would be beaten out of sight in a few short years.

With the wave of new energy vehicles coming, electrification and intelligence became the goal for many domestic car companies to "leapfrog". Relying on China's strong new energy vehicle industry chain advantages and car companies' own persistence on R&D and technology, Chinese independent brands quickly achieved "leapfrogging".

Domestic cars once criticized are now becoming more and more common on the roads, even surpassing joint ventures in share.

According to CPCA data, in April 2026, the share of independent brands reached as high as 62.5%, far exceeding Japan's 13.1%.

You need to know, the Chinese car market is the largest car market in the world. Losing speed in the Chinese market is like losing a huge piece of cake.

Meanwhile, the main theme of the Chinese market in recent years is still price wars. Racing on configuration, price, and service has become a normal state, which also had a huge impact on Japanese cars' profits.

Apart from China, Japanese cars are also not doing well in the US.

On January 20, 2025, Trump swore in as the 47th US President, starting a series of chaotic operations, including imposing additional car tariffs in the name of national security, causing the tariff rate for imported Japanese cars to reach as high as 27.5% at one point. Although it decreased later, it was still far higher than the initial tax rate.

This operation directly led to a tariff loss of over 2 trillion yen for seven Japanese car companies in fiscal year 2025.

Looking at Japan itself, it is actually not easy either.

Middle East geopolitical conflicts blocked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, transportation costs and raw material costs soared, Japanese car companies also had to suffer in silence.

Executives looking at the reports, their backs went cold, only to find a new growth curve.

So, Japanese car companies didn't fall in love with India, there was nowhere else to go.

Deep Thought on Choosing India

So, what magic does India have, to make Japanese car companies invest heavily?

The first advantage is big. In 2025, the Indian car market achieved 5.517 million new car sales, up 6% year-on-year, breaking the historical record, ranking as the third largest car market in the world, exceeding Japan for four consecutive years, second only to China and the United States.

The value of this doesn't need me to say much. India achieved this result mainly because India has been promoting tax reduction policies to promote consumption, which led to a significant increase in domestic consumption willingness.

The second advantage is close, meaning it is close to places where Japanese cars sell well, such as Africa.

So, India for Japanese car companies is more like a convenience store built in the center of a crossroad. You don't need to ship cars to eight countries separately, just build well at this stop in India, then unload ship by ship, and you can save a lot of costs.

The Nikkei also believes that India is expected to become its global car supply center.

The third advantage is stability. You know, Japanese cars' advantage is fuel cars, after all, the three major components of engines, gearboxes, and chassis, they have played for many years, technology accumulation is number one in the world.

But the Chinese car market has fully promoted electrification and intelligence development, leading to Japanese cars' advantage becoming weaker and weaker, impossible to play out. But India is different, it has the characteristics of few charging piles and slow electrification process. Indian old people buying cars still look for cheap, fuel saving, easy to fix, and these three points are exactly Japanese cars' old trade.

Especially Suzuki, always been India's car market evergreen, almost always sitting on the best-selling model throne, reputation of being worry-free, better than any advertisement.

So, Japanese car companies' vigorous layout of the Indian market is obviously carefully considered.

But, is the Indian market really that easy to mix?

The Hard-to-Bite Indian Market

Of course, India is not perfect like a hot commodity, its disadvantages are as obvious as its advantages, and every one is enough for Japanese car companies to face a hard time.

First talk about electrification. Yes, right now India has few charging piles and electric cars don't sell well, it is indeed a shelter for Japanese fuel cars. But you have to think, how long can this "shelter" avoid?

India previously shouted the slogan of 30% of new cars being electric vehicles by 2030. Although it sounds like bragging, but can't help but they really give subsidies, really build charging stations.

Imagine, what if one day India suddenly wakes up, starts vigorously promoting electrification, doing infrastructure, charging piles popping out like mushrooms after rain, then Japanese cars will be dumbfounded?

Isn't this a version of the Thai market?

Back then Japanese cars in Thailand won easily. The entire Southeast Asian market was called Japanese cars' backyard. Result Thailand took the lead in promoting electrification. Chinese electric vehicles came in, directly became a hot commodity. Look at Japanese cars again, share in Thailand falling down rapidly.

If India accelerates electrification, history will likely repeat, and this time, Japanese cars don't even have a place to flee, how to prevent will become the first problem for Japanese car companies.

Next talk about policy. India's policy is like a pot of curry, you never know if you will eat chicken or potato next time.

This magical country, today low tariff encourages building factories, tomorrow may fine you a huge amount. What's more annoying is mandatory joint venture. Foreign car companies want to sell cars in India, have to find local partners to partner up. When your factory is built, supply chain is done, India directly backstabs you. At that time whether adding money or withdrawing capital, what you get is heartache.

So you see, this market like India is like a mango that looks very sweet, bite the first mouth it's okay, chew two more mouths hit the hard core.

Japanese cars now is calculating, while the core hasn't bit the tooth, hurry up to nibble a few more mouths, but the core will bite sooner or later, just don't know which day.

Epilogue

Japanese cars this trip to India, not go for tourism, is go to make a living.

Chinese and Southeast Asian dining tables are more crowded, production and transportation costs have risen. Looking around the world, only this pot in India is still steaming, even if what is boiling inside is curry-flavored stones, have to bite hard and chew down.

Japanese car companies want to expand market, India wants to pull economy, solve employment, both sides have their own thoughts.

As for the ending is Japanese cars in India regain their glory, or like past competitors shamefully walk away, then is not known.

But no matter how, this play just started, we slowly watch is okay.

Anyway India's story, never bored.

2026 年 5 月 28 日，上海北外灘。當智己 LS9 Hyper 嘅匙交俾 Momenta CEO 曹旭東手中嗰陣，上汽集團正式達成咗「中國首個產銷量突破一億」嘅成就。

一億輛，這唔單單係一個冰冷嘅工業數據，更係中國汽車工業由無到有、由弱到強嘅生動註腳。從 1955 年弄堂入面嘅敲敲打打，當時嘅人恐怕唔會想到，70 幾年後，呢個「小弄堂」能夠到而家嘅「億」鳴驚人，簡直係中國汽車嘅「逆襲爽文」。

而家，我哋就嚟扒一扒，呢位「老牌頂流」究竟係點樣做到而家嘅地位。

踩「風口」、搶 C 位係上汽嘅獨門秘訣

回顧上汽呢大半輩子，只有一個感覺：呢位兄弟嘅「KPI」定得太準啦！其他人係被時代推住行，上汽係掐住秒錶搶 C 位，每一次技術變革，佢都好似提前拿到咗答案。

上世紀 50 年代，嗰時係草台班子嘅硬核開局。嗰陣時冇高精尖設備，冇歸國技術大牛，只係滿腔熱血同埋一把榔頭。1958 年，工人硬係喺簡陋嘅條件下敲出咗「鳳凰牌」轎車。就好似其他人仲喺玩泥巴，上汽已經開始搞「手工定制」啦。雖然嗰陣時嘅車可能「皮薄餡大」，但嗰份「我要造车」嘅倔强，絕對係嗰個時代最硬核嘅宣言。

上世紀 80 年代，上汽抱咗「大膊頭」，順手完成咗「逆襲」。改革開放嘅風口，上汽直接拉來咗大衆。桑塔納一出，邊個同佢爭鋒？嗰陣時嘅桑塔納，可係「財力」嘅代名詞。但上汽啲正點？正佢冇只諗住賣車，係搞出咗「桑塔納國產化共同體」，硬係將零件產業盤活咗。呢波操作，唔單止令自己賺得盆滿缽滿，仲順手畀中國汽車工業整咗個樣。

進入 2000 年後，上汽開始左手「財力」，右手「黑科技」。當其他人仲喺燃油夾縫入面求生存嗰陣，上汽早在 2006 年就已經搞出咗榮威，2016 年仲係聯手阿里搞出咗全球首輛互聯網汽車榮威 RX5。嗰陣時，友商嘅車機仲喺研究點樣播放 CD，上汽嘅車已經喺刷淘寶、傾微信啦。呢波「降維打擊」，直接令上汽喺智能化賽道上搶佔先機。

來到 2026 年，上汽開始技術「端上嚟」，價格「打落嚟」。智能化下半場，上汽直接祭出咗「技術全家桶」：智己嘅全线控底盤、Momenta 嘅智駕、華為嘅乾崑，連緊啲固態電池都裝車啦（MG4 半固態版）。

最正係咩？係上汽將呢啲原本幾十萬豪車先至有嘅配置，下放喺十幾萬嘅車上面。呢邊係幾時造車，呢簡直係「科技平權」嘅踐行者，令普通老百姓都能享受到「未來座艙」嘅快樂。

一億份「真愛」：呢車最終賣俾邊個啦？

產銷量突破一億，聽落去係個冷冷冰冰嘅數字，但睇完今次嘅交車儀式，只想講：呢邊係交車，分明係一場全球粉絲大聯歡！今次嘅陣容，簡直係「全品牌 Cosplay 大會」。由上海到倫敦，由印尼到新加坡，上汽將旗下十幾個品牌嘅幾十款車型一次過交付，呢排場，比車展仲車展。

喺高端局，嗰時係大佬互捧，場面一度失控。第 1 億位車主係 Momenta 嘅 CEO 曹旭東，呢個叫「雙向奔赴」。智己 LS9 Hyper 畀咗技術大佬，奧迪 E7X 畀咗時尚主編，呢個叫「專業嘅人開專業嘅車」。特別係智己 LS9 Hyper，搭載咗全线控四輪轉向同埋英偉達 Thor 芯片，呢啲配置，簡直係將「未來」焊喺底盤上。

喺家用局，上汽仲展現咗接地氣嘅一面，因為接地氣，先至最有底氣。別克至境 E7 畀咗公益博主劉佳，五菱榮光純電版畀咗村支書龐富強。特別係嗰位村支書，以前用三輪車送飯，唔單止慢仲顛得慌，而家開住五菱，直言「送餐效率拉滿，腰都唔疼啦」。呢就係咪「人民需要咩，五菱就造咩」嘅最好證明？先係真正嘅「接地氣，長出參天樹」。

喺全球局，中國車，都係世界車。英國小哥喜提 MG4，印尼國腳開走五菱星光。而家嘅 MG 喺歐洲可係銷冠，呢啲說明咩？說明我哋嘅車，唔單止中國人愛開，老外都覺得「City 唔 City」（時髦唔時髦）。上汽呢波「出海」，簡直係將「中國智造」變咗「全球爆款」。

耿直點評：上汽贏喺邊？

站喺汽車媒體嘅角度看，上汽能夠坐穩呢個「億級」寶座，絕對唔係靠運氣，而係實打實嘅「硬核實力」。

首先係戰略定力。好多車企鍾意追風口，PPT 造車、名字亂改。上汽由 2014 年開始全面轉型新能源，砸咗 1500 億研發，呢先至有今日嘅「技術紅利」。長期主義，永遠係打敗投機取巧嘅王炸。

其次係開放心態。上汽從來都唔覺得自己能夠搞定一切。造車有大大衆通用，搞智駕拉埋 Momenta，玩生態牽手華為阿里。呢種「你負責優秀，我負責將你嘅優秀裝落車入面」嘅策略，效率極高，簡直係「最強輔助」。

最後係良心底線。無論係早期嘅桑塔納「絕唔搞瓜菜代」，定係而家嘅魔方電池「零自燃」，上汽喺品控上一直比較「軸」。喺呢個爛尾樓都能買車嘅時代，靠譜，就係最大嘅豪華。

當然，完美男神都有「小瑕疵」

當然，人冇完人，車都一樣。我哋要客觀公正，唔好淨係講好聽嘢。雖然上汽今次交車儀式搞到風生水起，但喺日常嘅產品細節上面，有時仲會被吐槽「審美掉線」。例如某些低端車型嘅設計，有時會令人覺得「設計師係咪飲咗多？」另外，喺純電平台嘅迭代速度上，有時亦會被新勢力追得有點緊，偶爾會令人有一種「起得大早，趕咗晚集」嘅錯覺。當然，呢僅係小編我嘅個人觀點，切勿狂噴。

唔過，瑕不掩瑜。總括嚟講，上汽呢 70 年，用三個字概括：贏足晒。

最後仲想講多兩句

由 1955 到 2026，由鳳凰牌到智己，上汽呢 70 年，係一部奮鬥史，亦係一部「爽文」。都話而家國內汽車市場超級捲，但對我哋消費者嚟講，最大嘅贏家其實係自己。因為只有車企捲得好勁，我哋先用更少嘅錢，買到更爽嘅車！下一個一億輛，我哋拭目以待！