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Toyota CEO attempts Tesla analogy and fails: ‘They aren’t really making something that’s real’

(Photo: Tesla Photographer/Instagram)

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5 years ago

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Tesla recently received some subtle shade from Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, who noted that while the American EV maker is leading the auto segment in market value, it would be a mistake to underestimate the fact that the Japanese veteran has built over 100 million cars over the decades. Toyoda’s statement stands as a rare instance when the CEO issued direct comments about a competitor.

During an online briefing on Friday, the CEO stated that Toyota is indeed losing to Tesla when it comes to share price and market cap. However, the executive argued that Tesla still has a long way to go before it could rival Toyota’s scale and experience. Interestingly enough, Toyota used an analogy to emphasize his point.

“Tesla says that their recipe will be the standard in the future, but what Toyota has is a real kitchen and a real chef. We are losing when it comes to the share price, but when it comes to products, we have a full menu that will be chosen by customers,” he said, as per a report from Automotive News Europe.

Prior to Tesla’s meteoric rise, Toyota stood at the top of the automotive market with its hyper-efficient operations and vehicles that are famed for their reliability. This status quo changed in July, when Tesla overtook Toyota to become the world’s most valuable automaker by market cap. The electric car maker has largely maintained this momentum, and it now stands far above the Japanese veteran in valuation.

Despite this, Toyoda explained that Toyota has built a formidable brand over the decades by offering affordable and reliable vehicles that could be produced in mass numbers. Thus, the executive remarked that he sees Toyota’s “picky customers” staying with the company’s tried and tested vehicles. And this, according to the executive is a difference-maker.

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“They aren’t really making something that’s real, people are just buying the recipe. We have the kitchen and chef, and we make real food,” Toyoda said.

That being said, there is no denying that Toyota is lagging behind the industry when it comes to the shift to electric vehicles. Despite Toyota being an investor in Tesla during the EV maker’s early days, the Japanese automaker’s electric vehicle program has been uninspired at best. Campaigns such as its infamous “self-charging hybrid” ads, which promote gas-powered vehicles like the Prius, further add doubt about the company’s dedication to the EV shift.

Ultimately, what is really a bit questionable about Toyoda’s recent statements was his analogy itself. Some of the world’s best restaurants, after all, establish their reputation with a small menu filled with offerings that are great enough to attract a steady stream of patrons. With this in mind, perhaps Toyota should pay more attention to Tesla’s short menu for now, since every vehicle in the company’s lineup today, and in the near future, has the potential to be a disruptor on their own.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Two driverless Waymo cars collide at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport

Two Waymo vehicles collided at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Arizona

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1 hour ago

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July 31, 2025

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waymo self-driving crash in phoenix
Credit: Reddit | u/HIGH_PRESSURE_TOILET

Two driverless Waymo cars collided at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Wednesday, but details are incredibly slim as the accident has barely been mentioned on many social media platforms.

The video of the two Waymo vehicles was shared on Reddit’s r/SelfDrivingCars subreddit by u/HIGH_PRESSURE_TOILET (an interesting username), showing the two Jaguar I-PACE EVs at a standstill.

They were still making contact in the video, with one front driver-side quarter panel still in contact with the other’s front passenger door:

There are relatively no details on the matter, but we reached out to Waymo earlier today, and an employee was able to share the following information.

Waymo told Teslarati that the accident occurred at a low speed, which is evident based on the lack of major damage done to either vehicle. Waymo did not reveal a specific speed at which the accident occurred, but they did mention it was a low speed.

The message Waymo’s vehicles showed after the accident in Phoenix. (Credit: Reddit | u/HIGH_PRESSURE_TOILET)

Additionally, there were no passengers inside either vehicle at the time of the crash. The cause of the accident is still unknown, but the company is currently investigating any potential causes and aims to have more answers in the coming days.

This is an expected growing pain of driverless vehicles, as autonomous rides are still in their very early phases. We have seen Waymo vehicles encounter a variety of challenges over the past several years, including getting stuck at construction zones in other cities.

Here’s one example of one nearly driving into a trench:

Waymo self driving car almost drives into a trench at construction site

Waymo is in direct competition with Tesla Robotaxi, which is operating in both Austin, Texas, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Waymo operates in both of these areas.

As Waymo updates us with more details, we will share them here and update the article.

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Tesla tips off where it wants to expand Robotaxi next

Tesla looks to have its sights on several major cities in the United States to expand Robotaxi operation.

Published

3 hours ago

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July 31, 2025

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Credit: @AdanGuajardo/X

Tesla has tipped off where it wants to expand its Robotaxi ride-hailing platform next, as it has launched rides in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday.

Austin, Texas, and the Bay Area of California are the two areas where Tesla is currently operating its ride-hailing service. In Austin, there is nobody in the driver’s seat, whereas in California, the rides will operate with someone in the driver’s seat.

This is a regulatory difference, but it is not all bad. California’s geofence for the ride-hailing service is nearly 70 miles long and spans from above San Francisco to the south, all the way down to San Jose.

However, this is not where Tesla is stopping. Expansion is going to occur when Tesla is ready to do so, but it is not being conservative with its expectations.

During last week’s Q2 2025 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he expects half of the U.S. population to have access to Robotaxi by the end of the year:

“As we get the approvals and prove out safety, we will be launching the autonomous ride-hailing across most of the country. I think we will probably have autonomous ride-hailing in probably half the population of the US by the end of the year. That’s at least our goal, subject to regulatory approvals. I think we will technically be able to do it. Assuming we have regulatory approvals, it’s probably addressing half the population of the US by the end of the year. We are being very cautious. We do not want to take any chances, so we are going to go cautiously. But the service areas and the number of vehicles in operation will increase at a hyper-exponential rate.”

In order to do this, Tesla will need to expand to additional cities. A recent list of job postings captured by Tesla Yoda on X showed that the automaker is hiring in major metropolitan areas of the U.S. to reach more people.

The cities listed in the job postings are:

  • Palo Alto, California
  • Brooklyn, New York
  • Houston, Texas
  • Dallas, Texas
  • Tempe, Arizona
  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Tampa, Florida
  • Orlando, Florida
  • Miami, Florida

Accessing markets like New York City, Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami, Tampa, and Orlando will enable Tesla to gain access to more customers. These are also major hotspots for tourism in the United States, where people might be able to get Tesla Robotaxi rides during trips or vacations.

These cities are unconfirmed to be in Tesla’s sites as it has not made any official statements about where it will expand in the future. However, these job postings are a good indication of where it could be looking in order to expand.

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Tesla expands Robotaxi operation to California’s Bay Area

Tesla now has Robotaxi operation in two areas in the United States, as it has officially expanded to the Bay Area of California.

Published

5 hours ago

on

July 31, 2025

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Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | X

Tesla has expanded its Robotaxi platform to California’s Bay Area, marking the second major region it will be operating a ride-sharing service in the United States.

The Bay Area is the second area within the U.S. where Tesla has launched the Robotaxi platform, joining Austin, Texas.

However, there are some slight differences between how Tesla Robotaxi is operating in Austin compared to the Bay Area.

Last night, Tesla sent out an update to its Robotaxi app, showing there is now availability to catch a ride from a Model Y in the Bay Area. We received the update on our app:

The geofence for the Bay Area is significantly larger than what Tesla is offering in Austin. In the Bay Area, the geofence spans north of San Francisco and extends south, even below San Jose. In total, it’s about an hour and fifteen minutes from top to bottom, and it is roughly 65 miles in length.

There are some differences between Tesla’s Robotaxi offering in the two cities. In Austin, there is nobody in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, just a Safety Monitor in the passenger seat who is there to take over only in the most extreme circumstances.

In the Bay Area, there will be a human in the driver’s seat, and they will operate a version of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), but current requirements maintain that a human needs to be able to take over.

Tesla is still considering it a portion of its Robotaxi operation, but it is referring to it as a “ride-hailing service.”

Tesla Robotaxi has been in operation in Austin since June 22. Just over a month later, the company is moving forward with a new region and has plans to bring even more cities into the mix in the coming months. Recently, Musk said that he expects half of the U.S. population to have access to Robotaxi by the end of the year.

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