1. Tesla's strongest rival?
On December 28, 2021, NIO Motor launched a new model of NIO, THE5, at the NIO Day event, positioning itself as a medium-sized coupe pure electric vehicle. The starting price is 328,000 yuan before the subsidy, and the starting price of the BaaS battery rental plan is 258,000 yuan after the subsidy, and it is expected to start delivery in September 2022.
Originally, I didn't pay much attention to the listing of new energy vehicles, but the release of Weilai ET5 was making a lot of noise in the circle, I don't know if it was because of Li Bin's speech, or WIL ET5 is really so good?
After carefully studying the ET5, the author found that its positioning is a pure electric luxury mid-size car. What are the most popular models in this market right now? Tesla Model 3, BYD Han, Xiaopeng P7. At first glance, the size of Weilai ET5 does not have an absolute advantage, and the coupe-style body has been seen in the new energy vehicle, what does Weilai ET5 compare with competitors? Is it qualified to be a Tesla Model 3?
02. Why challenge Tesla?
The first is pricing, NIO ET5 released two models, the 75kWh dual-motor four-wheel drive model was priced at 328,000 yuan before the subsidy; another 100kWh dual-motor four-wheel drive model was priced at 386,000 before the subsidy. If the NiPP ET5 with the BaaS battery rental method starts at 258,000 yuan, it seems to be very close to Tesla's Moedl 3 rear-wheel drive version.
The design of both cars is full of electric vehicle elements, full of futuristic feeling, and even I think that the coupe design that is now common in new energy is somewhat boring. Of course, the design of the appearance is not different, and the more amazing thing about the NIO ET5 is the performance of the technology configuration.
Nio ET5 adopts the roof of the watchtower sensor layout, equipped with Aquila NIO supersensitive system, with 1 ultra-long-range high-precision lidar, 7 8-megapixel high-definition cameras, 4 3-megapixel high-sensitivity surround view cameras, 1 enhanced main driver perception, 5 millimeter wave radar, 12 ultrasonic sensors, 2 high-precision positioning units and V2X vehicle-to-road coordination... These hardware configurations in the current new energy field, indeed called the "ceiling" level.
Although the performance of ET5 is excellent from the data point of view, how is it in the actual use of the road? As a new car manufacturer with a history of only 7 years, is the technology mature enough? All of this, Xiaobian believes that it will take time to verify.
In contrast, Tesla Model 3's Autopilot automatic assisted driving system, the performance of the hardware configuration will be weaker, but it also has a very powerful function, through the OTA software update, the vehicle can also be continuously upgraded and improved, two of which the practicality of the user after the actual use of the feedback are very good.
First, the "summoning function", the driver can use the card key to let the Model 3 automatically drive in or out of the parking space, which is very convenient in the narrow parking lot scene;
The second is the automatic parking function, whether it is side parking or reversing into the warehouse, it can be achieved automatic parking through the "one-key switch".
The complexity of the domestic road traffic situation makes automatic driving a "chicken rib" in a large case, leaving this function aside, the remaining auxiliary functions are really quite intelligent in the actual scene application. And most Tesla users said that after getting used to these functions, it is difficult to accept new energy vehicles without such functions.
The dynamic and beautiful appearance is for others to see, and the interior of the car is a scene that we can touch every day, and the design of the interior is also very important. The interior of the new energy electric vehicle seems to be agreed upon, and the consistently simple interior style I think is a bit too simple and lacks a sense of design.
The interior of the Tesla Model 3 makes me feel a little unremarkable, and the two large LCD screens are everything in the central control. Of course, some people think that this minimalist design style is just in line with taste.
Look at the interior design of WEIO ET5, which is also a simple style, but I think it will be more artistic in line design, and compared to the luxury of ET7, the lower price of ET5 uses a large number of more low-carbon, lower pollution and environmentally friendly materials.
From the perspective of power configuration, WEILAI ET5 only has a dual-motor four-wheel drive version of the model, which is divided into high and low power models. It seems that Weilai wants to compare it with the two-motor all-wheel drive version of tesla Model 3.
Tesla Model 3 Performance High Performance Edition is equipped with dual-motor all-wheel drive, the total power of the motor is 357kW, the total torque value is 659 Nm, the motor is 486ps, and the acceleration of 100 kilometers takes only 3.3 seconds.
The comprehensive road range is 675 kilometers, of course, driving fast must also be able to brake, 19-inch zero-gravity high-performance wheels and advanced braking system to "stop" to bring good performance performance.
Weilai ET5 100kWh dual motor four-wheel drive model, the total power of the motor 360kW, the total torque value of 700 Nm, the motor 490ps, 100 km acceleration of 4.3 seconds, the comprehensive road conditions mileage reached 1000 km, if from the existing model, this is a breakthrough 1000 km of pure tram, is this a sharp weapon to cure mileage anxiety?
Although the acceleration is a little slower, "braking fast" may also win the hearts of many consumers. The high-performance four-piston caliper from the main research and development of Wei has given ET5 a lot of confidence and boldly disclosed its 100 km braking performance, 33.9 meters.
03. Brands are not made with saliva
As we all know, Weilai, like Tesla, is a "new force" in the automotive industry, and unlike traditional car manufacturers, they pay more attention to the communication ability of products and customers, and the accumulation of a large number of technology configurations makes consumers have a different view of traditional automotive products.
Does Tesla have drawbacks? The answer is yes, and it's obvious. From the consumer word of mouth, it can be known that Tesla's manufacturing process performance is not good, such as uneven gaps, different sizes and so on. However, even if Tesla's sales are still "stuck" on the list of new energy vehicles, I believe that naturally there are its outstanding highlights that can attract consumers.
And Weilai, although the 10-year warranty, the highest endurance of 1000 kilometers, and free power exchange, free charging piles and other services are the plus points of ET5, but as a domestic brand, in fact, many consumers are not optimistic about it. The lack of domestic brand power is a point, which may be everyone's definition of domestic cars twenty years ago, but today, we must know that domestic cars, especially domestic new energy electric vehicles, have even caught up with many foreign car companies.
Li Bin, founder of NIO, said at NIO DAY that in 2022, NIO's products and system-wide services will be officially landed in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark. At the same time, NIO plans to provide services to users in more than 25 countries and regions around the world by 2025.
Maybe that's a good thing, exported to Europe? For the Chinese who pay attention to brand power, they feel "tall" when they hear it. However, we take a serious look, Tesla was established in 2003, and the first car product Roadster was released in 2008, so that everyone in China knows that Tesla is the Model S released in 2012.
Perhaps it is Tesla's success in China that has made many "new forces" have ideas, and Weilai is also one of them. For the future idea and construction, in the current domestic new energy brand Weilai does have some achievements, but it is not so easy to get everyone's recognition as a car company that has only been established for seven years.
Time is the best way to prove everything, how does NIO ET5 actually perform? Can I > 5 3?
As an independent brand, we certainly hope that its performance can be a little better, of course, we also hope to "hang" the foreign brand Tesla. However, from an objective point of view, Weilai ET5 still needs to be verified by the market, and if you want to surpass the "predecessors" in the circle, you must constantly improve your own product strength, the optimization of intelligent systems, improve the charging and refueling facilities, and slowly, time will prove everything.
New energy vehicle "smart" is the biggest selling point, for now, Weilai ET5 wants to "hang" Tesla Model 3, not so easy, both cars are the leaders of the new energy market, if you let you choose, which one do you want to buy more?