In December 2019, the number of ideal ONEs was only 1011 units, while the total number of Tuon + Touareg was 13173 units; in September 2020, the number of ideal ONEs on the line reached 3830 units, while the total number of toutuaries + Tuon was 9304 units, and it was also in this month that Volkswagen China CEO Feng Sihan once shelled that the increased range is the "worst solution".
Although he did not criticize any company by name, at that time, the domestic market mainly promoted range extender hybrid, and the only one that competed fiercely with Volkswagen was the ideal ONE. Therefore, At that time, Feng Sihan's remarks also caused an uproar on the Internet.
However, in less than 2 years, the ideal ONE has become the champion of medium and large SUV sales, and the sales volume has even exceeded the sum of the Tuon, Touareg, Lanjing, and ID.6 series. Ideal Auto founder Li Xiang responded in a low-key manner on Weibo, thanked the spur, continued to work hard, and responded well to the remarks of Volkswagen CEO Feng Sihan 2 years ago.
So is Volkswagen really wrong?
[1] The public is right, the extender is indeed the worst solution!
Volkswagen is not wrong, range-extended range is indeed not the best solution, because range-extended hybrid does not fundamentally reduce the consumption of oil. As we all know, the ideal ONE still needs to be refueled in the case of feeding, and the fuel consumption of 100 kilometers in the feeder state also needs about 8 liters, although it is more fuel-efficient than the same level of pure fuel medium and large SUVs, but the so-called range extender hybrid is still a cover-up. Therefore, the global large enterprise groups will hardly launch new energy solutions such as range extender hybridization.
[2] Why is there more and more range extended hybridization in China?
Range extender hybrid is indeed led by the ideal ONE, in the past, although there are some range extender hybrid models on the market, but sales are very low, the ideal ONE let everyone know the range extender hybrid. And after the success of the ideal ONE, more and more companies have joined in, such as Lantu, such as Huawei Q&A M5, which is a program extender hybrid. So why is there more and more range-added hybridization?
I think that first of all, the range extender hybrid belongs to the new energy vehicle, which can be on the green card, which is very critical. Many people buy the ideal ONE is to go to the green card, the new energy license is easier to obtain, and there is no limit to the purchase limit, free of purchase tax, these are very huge advantages. For users who do not meet the charging conditions, there is no mileage anxiety in extender hybrid.
Secondly, there are plug-in hybrids that can be on the green card, so what are the advantages of extended-range hybrids and plug-in hybrids? I think that compared with plug-in hybrids, although the principle structure is very different, fundamentally, the pure electrical mileage of extended-range hybrids is generally higher than that of plug-in hybrids. And the extended-range hybrid engine is mainly used to generate electricity, so it is more like the structure of new energy vehicles than fuel vehicles.
[3] The success of the ideal ONE is not the success of the extender hybrid?
The success of the ideal ONE is not the success of the extender hybrid, but the success of the ideal ONE's own positioning. Ideal ONE positioning medium and large SUV, a configuration of the whole series of models, a price, a large 6-seat design, the configuration is very sufficient. Aiming at the elite class of dad special vehicles. The selling points of these products are deeply attracted to the choice of users.
Coupled with the design of the ideal ONE, the boxy is very atmospheric and calm, and it looks very luxurious. So users who buy the ideal ONE model are attracted by other selling points, not by the range extender hybrid. Range extender hybrids are not going to be its selling point. The fact is that the ideal car itself has made the ideal ONE a plug-in hybrid, rather than a range extender hybrid. It can be seen that the ideal car is to deliberately avoid such obscure words, so that users can better accept the car.
summary:
Taking the extended range model as a breakthrough, entering the new energy automobile industry, playing no mileage anxiety, and grasping the user's pain points very well. Then wait for the battery cost to fall and the charging pile is more abundant, and then launch a pure electric vehicle, which is the ideal car idea. It is reported that the next model of the ideal car is likely to be a pure electric vehicle. So the public is not optimistic about the range extender hybrid, it does make sense, but the ideal ONE has indeed succeeded. I don't think either side is wrong. It's just that the success of the ideal ONE is not because of the extender, but because of the selling points of other products.