Per reporter: Huang Xinxu
As the last A-class auto show in China this year, Guangzhou Auto Show has always been known as the "vane of China's auto market", and the new cars released during the period will play an important guiding role in the auto market next year. The Guangzhou Auto Show, which opened on November 19, took "New Technology, New Life" as the theme, highlighting that the wave of electrification and intelligence has become the main trend of industry development.
In this year's Guangzhou Auto Show, the number of new energy models exhibited by various car companies reached 241, an increase of about 70% over the previous session. GM, which gambled on electrification transformation, brought the first model based on the new Ultium Aotene electric vehicle platform - Cadillac LYRIQ. It is understood that this new car is crucial for GM, which opens a new chapter in the era of GM electrification, and GM has entered a new turning point in development.
In this context, the Daily Economic News reporter specially interviewed Bai Li, executive vice president of GM Global And President of General Motors (China) Group Corporation (hereinafter referred to as GM China), who answered questions about GM's electrification future, autonomous driving technology reserves, and the competitive landscape of the automotive industry.
Bai Li, Global Executive Vice President of General Motors and President of General Motors (China) Group Of Companies Image source: Courtesy of the company
Bai Li and GM's new four transformations have a lot of roots, last year when he became the president of the new GM China, GM also began to enter the critical period of the transformation of the new four modernizations, and the Chinese market continues to accelerate the landing of electric products. In October this year, the general electric platform Aoteneng officially rolled off the production line; next year, the first new car equipped with the Aoteneng platform will be officially delivered. At the same time, GM's layout in the field of autonomous driving is also becoming clear, and the enhanced version of the Super Cruise super intelligent driving system that can realize lane change function will be launched in China this year; the Super Cruise super intelligent driving system will complete the full coverage of Cadillac brand models in the next 5 years...
However, at present, The competition in China's new energy vehicle market is extremely fierce, and players from all walks of life are competing to chase. Faced with the overhaul of electrification and the new track of software-defined cars, there is still a lot of uncertainty about whether GM can achieve the expected success in the breakout race. In this regard, Bai Li said: "I personally like competition very much, and competition can prompt us to constantly challenge ourselves and make self-breakthroughs. As for the final result, it will take time and the market to verify. ”
Talk about electrification transformation: ensure that the market is profitable
With the debut of the Cadillac LYRIQ pure electric SUV at the Guangzhou Auto Show, GM has finally entered the landing level of electrification transformation. It is worth noting that Cadillac LYRIQ is based on the Aotene platform, which GM regards as the cornerstone of the electrification transformation.
"The Aotene platform is GM's ultimate solution in electrification. It is highly flexible and malleable, and the product spectrum covers a wide range of product types, including pure electric Hummer pickup trucks, BrightDrop logistics vehicles, Cruise Origin self-driving shared cars and Cadillac LYRIQ smart pure electric SUV. In the future, it will also build all pure electric models of Cadillac, Buick and Chevrolet. Bai Li believes that the Aoteneng platform is the "cornerstone" of GE's electrification transformation and can help GM "stand out" in the wave of electrification.
Like the platforms of other car companies, the Aoteneng electric platform can greatly compress the product development cycle. Taking the 2022 Hummer EV as an example, the development cycle has been shortened from about 50 months to 26 months. For GM, which has not yet been electrified on a large scale, the arrival of Aoteneng will accelerate the pace of its product introduction.
It is understood that the Cadillac LYRIQ pure electric SUV will be officially launched next year. By 2025, GM will launch 30 pure electric models worldwide. Among the new models launched by GM in China, new energy vehicles will account for more than 40%.
Cadillac LYRIQ Concept Car Image Source: Visual China
From the perspective of product listing nodes, the outside world has been questioning the rhythm of GM. At present, the new car-making forces are already embarking on the launch of their third or fourth models, while the joint venture brands SAIC Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen have also launched a new electric model based on the MEB platform this year. In this regard, Bai Li has repeatedly stressed that the speed of product development is important, and the timing of product launch is also very important, "GM has been moving forward at its own pace."
It is worth noting that unlike the new car-making forces, traditional automakers always need to consider the issue of profitability, which also requires that the marketization of GE's electrification products is mature and efficient. "We have developed a complete supply chain in China, and the localization procurement rate of parts on the Aoteneng platform has exceeded 95%." Bai Li believes that this will become the advantage of the subsequent participation of the Aoteneng platform in the market competition.
The confidence of GM's transformation is also inseparable from financial support. This year, GM announced plans to increase its investment in electric vehicles and autonomous driving from $27 billion to $35 billion over the next five years. That investment is more than five times GM's 2020 net profit of $6.4 billion. "Our investment commitment demonstrates GM's commitment to electrification." Bai Li said.
On Autonomous Driving: "Multi-Pronged"
Electrification is just one link in the wave of "new four modernizations" of automobiles, and the era of software-defined cars is subverting the essence of automobiles.
The new car-making forces under the label of "intelligent terminals" have occupied a place in the car market. In October, Xiaopeng Motors' monthly sales exceeded 10,000 again; Tesla CEO Elon Musk became an invited guest of the Volkswagen Group to "teach" Volkswagen executives. In this context, some people believe that traditional car companies have run on traditional tracks for too long, and it seems that it is not easy for "elephants to turn".
"The reserves of traditional car companies in core technologies such as three electrics and intelligent network connection are not worse than those of new car-making forces." On the contrary, many car companies have certain technical precipitations and reserves in terms of software and big data, and they attach great importance to safety. However, at the marketing level, some traditional car companies have not yet transformed their technical strength into brand power that consumers can understand. Market competition is a long-term war, and traditional car companies have not been left behind in the competition of the 'new four modernizations' of automobiles. An auto industry insider told reporters.
In fact, taking stock of GM's layout in the field of autonomous driving and intelligent networking, it will be found that the automaker is ready to compete.
GM's Cruise's first self-driving car Image source: Visual China
Five years ago, GM acquired Cruise Automation, a self-driving company, for $1 billion. Today, the company is a giant valued at nearly $40 billion. At the same time, GM is also constantly enriching its layout in the field of autonomous driving, forming a technical development path of The Super Cruise super intelligent driving assistance system and Cruise driverless technology "walking on two legs".
At the product landing level, GM's Super Cruise super intelligent driving system will complete the full coverage of Cadillac brand models in the next 5 years, and gradually apply to Buick and Chevrolet brand models. An enhanced version of the Super Cruise Super Intelligent Driving System, which can implement lane change functions, will also be available in China this year.
Recently, there was news that GM has invested $300 million in autonomous driving startup Momenta to increase its autonomous driving business. "Our development in the field of autonomous driving adheres to a 'multi-pronged' strategy. Momenta has a reserve of autonomous driving technology at the L3 to L5 levels. In the future, we hope to work with Momenta to apply our next-generation autonomous driving solutions tailored to Chinese consumers in the Chinese market." Bai Li said.
In the field of intelligent networking, GM has launched a new generation of VIP intelligent electronic architecture, and has been equipped with applications on the Cadillac CT5, and will gradually expand to the Buick brand models. By 2023, the new generation of VIP intelligent electronic architecture will be installed in almost all of GM's global models.
"Our VIP Smart Electronics Architecture lays the foundation for the evolution of smart connected technology. Its earliest model applied in China is a fuel vehicle, and our large-scale OTA remote upgrade in the Chinese market is mainly achieved on fuel vehicles. GM's intelligent development has always focused on electric vehicles and fuel vehicles going hand in hand. Bai Li said.
Talk about technology transformation: User security is at the core
In the face of major changes in the automotive industry that have not occurred in a hundred years, GM and many car companies are undergoing restructuring. The wave of automotive "new four modernizations" reform first affected the GM China Forward-looking Design Center (hereinafter referred to as the Forward-looking Design Center), which focuses on the next 5 to 10 years of technology.
A few years ago, the Advanced Drive Systems Laboratory at the Forward Design Center began its transformation toward electrification, shifting from a focus on traditional fuel drive systems to researching motors and electronic controls. The engineering center of the Forward-looking Design Center has also been transformed into GM's intelligent and connected vehicle center in China, designing electric vehicles and concept cars for China and the global market.
The reporter learned that the average age of the employees of the advanced drive system laboratory of the Forward-looking Design Center is in their 30s. "They didn't do traditional fuel technology for a lifetime, and because they had been focusing on the forward-looking field of technology, they had completed their self-transformation early." The above-mentioned GM employees also introduced to reporters.
According to public information, the expanded Forward-looking Design Center will focus on basic materials research and then battery material verification, and will also focus on the research of electrified and networked auto parts and architectures, providing technical development solutions for GM in China and even the world.
GM China Forward-looking Design Center Image source: Courtesy of the company
The timely transformation of the Forward-looking Design Center has given GM more confidence in the face of future competition, and Bai Li has repeatedly said that the Forward-looking Design Center has taken into account the needs of the Chinese market in the early stages of development. "Chinese consumers are more willing to embrace new technologies and new experiences than the rest of the world. Electrification and networking will be a new battlefield in the future, and technology will be the most important core link in the competition. Bai Li said.
Interestingly, Bai Li believes that consumers often have some misunderstandings about technology: "So for GM, the security of communicating technology to consumers is the most core communication point." We have also made great preparations before the technology is launched to the market, as well as verification work, to ensure the security of our technology. ”
Take GM's super cruise driver assistance system, for example, behind the hands of the driver, this technology has a multi-layered safety design. For example, the technology has a driver attention retention function, if the vehicle detects that the driver's attention is out of the front and the steering wheel, it will first give a prompt through the sound, followed by the vibration of the seat to prompt, if the driver is indifferent to these prompts, the vehicle will slowly stop. In Bo Li's view, GM is also a user-oriented enterprise, and GM's technology is not only to meet the needs of consumers, but more importantly, to truly protect the safety of consumers.
Talk about competition: We must seek progress in stability
Whether it is the commercialization of the Aoteneng platform, GM's "multi-pronged" strategy in autonomous driving, or the landing of technology safety that Bai Li constantly emphasizes, it highlights the typical industrial logic of the Detroit-born automaker.
"Industrial thinking means that traditional car companies must think very clearly before doing something. Its products have also been verified countless times before they are introduced to the market. The above-mentioned auto industry insiders said that "seeking progress in stability" is GM's consistent style.
However, this does not mean that words such as "radical" and "competitive" are not related to universality.
For example, according to GM's published carbon neutrality timetable, it will achieve zero emissions of all light vehicles by 2035; by 2040, it plans to achieve carbon neutrality in global products and workplaces. "Compared to other automotive groups, the electrification timeline we planned is radical, which is a reflection of GM's confidence and determination." Bai Li said.
At the competitive level, Mary Bora, CEO and chairman of General Motors, recently issued a public challenge declaration to Tesla: "By 2025, GM's electric vehicle sales in the United States will surpass Tesla' sales." One is Detroit's old giant, the other is a Silicon Valley upstart, and the head-to-head confrontation between the two American automakers will also be staged in the Chinese market where the penetration rate of new energy vehicles is increasing.
Image source: Daily Economic News Infographic
"The time node when the penetration rate of new energy vehicles in the Chinese market reaches 50% should be earlier than we predicted." We have done a lot of market research in the two major markets in China and the United States, and the results of each survey are ahead of the last time. This may be because of the increasing acceptance of consumers, or it may be driven by policies and regulations. In my opinion, the inflection point of the popularity of electric vehicles is not that the proportion reaches a certain value, but that consumer acceptance begins to accelerate. Based on this, Bai Li believes that the inflection point of the rapid development of the domestic new energy vehicle market has arrived.
In this context, market competition is a problem that GM has to face. "I've been asked who are our competitors? The answer to this is actually everyone. "It may be a traditional car company like Volkswagen and Toyota, or it may be some new forces like Tesla and Weilai, or it may be a crossover player who has entered the car-making track such as Xiaomi." ”
However, Bai Li does not exclude competition: "Our attitude towards competition has always been very open, competition can give consumers more choice, but also allow the entire industry to consider the direction of future development." In the long run, we may have some competitive relationship with some companies, but in terms of the direction of the entire industry, I prefer to call it a partner. ”
Reporter: Huang Xinxu
Editor: Sun Lei
Vision: Liu Yang
Typesetting: Sun Lei Ma Yuan
Daily economic news