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Does this put Toyota over the top or does this merely make them a contender?
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Well as was already alluded to, Toyota was already near/at the top of the game.
But as to answer the question of whether this places them further out-of-reach, I honestly can't say for sure. But suspect it won't make much of a difference for the long-run.
The question that comes to mind is, what technology does Tesla offer that the other companies have not developed ? Can Tesla offer these technologies as a reasonable cost alternative ?
The article mentions something about a $109,000 roadster. That also brings the question of, is Toyota looking to shift the tech toward a higher-priced market ?
If they can modify these technologies to improve R&D, lower manufacturing costs, and remarket them, then it will definitely help. But it might be overstating it a bit to say that this will put them over-the-top.