In the last two weeks of the year, it was normal for new cars to come to market. So we still followed the steps, one by one. The new cars in this brief review are actually listed last week. However, their level of attention is considerable.
When everyone is still analyzing the authenticity of the SPY photos of WEILAI ET5 and speculating whether it may be listed in 2022, it is actually listed directly on the "Nio Day" in 2021. But don't get too excited: this is a new force, the listing is just a formality, and the car is still early to go offline. Even so, there are still many people who are excited about it. Is this car really that appealing?
The divine beast is really the car as its name suggests—it is all personality and unconventional. Why did Haval launch such a car, how exactly does it intend to be positioned, and what is the ultimate goal of its listing?
The Song Pro DM-i is also on the market. In terms of cars and technology alone, there is nothing new now. But behind Song Pro DM-i's product strategy, we seem to be able to see some trends from BYD next year.
Mythical Beast: Car as its name suggests? What is the intention?
Listing date: December 18
Brand: Haval
Guidance price: 13-167,000 yuan
Level of concern: ★★★★★ (very important new car series)
Keywords: car as its name, personality styling, new forces thinking, lemon + coffee, intelligence, creativity, exploration, sports, young, 12.3 + 14.6 inches, Mercedes-Benz pocket gear, pink neon, obsidian magnetic field
Haval's launch of the Divine Beast should have "shocked" some people. At the same time, it is estimated that many people are confused about why Haval launched the Divine Beast and what kind of market the Divine Beast is facing.
If you hide the logo and then let people who have never heard of the mythical beast guess its brand, it is estimated that the tenth guess will not be Haval. Because of the style of the divine beast, the difference from the previous Haval models is really too big.
At the same time, the platform of the Divine Beast is shared with the third-generation Haval H6. While the car is longer and has a longer wheelbase, the positioning is still a compact SUV (and by no means a replacement for the Haval H7). This makes some people wonder: Isn't that overlapping with H6?
In fact, in the current market, especially for manufacturers who have achieved "modularity", it has long been no longer limited to "one level and one car".
So, what is Haval's intention to launch the Divine Beast so subversively? The logic behind it is not complicated. Think about how everyone felt when the UNI-T and ICON cars were first launched - is it a bit familiar?
Uncle Ka does not mean that the divine beast and UNI-T, ICON and other competitors, but that fuel manufacturers in the pure electric, new forces "vigorous development" at the moment, but also began to try to design some breakthrough, futuristic, or "new force model" models. These attempts may not be as successful as UNI-T, but even if they can get enough feedback to find the right direction for the next model design, they are "worth it".
Looking at the Divine Beast according to this thinking, there should be a feeling of "sudden enlightenment". Even, you might think that the appearance of the divine beast could be more daring.
The personalization of the divine beast is mainly reflected in the design of the front face. In particular, the design of hiding the headlights in the front grille makes the car look "eyeless" – more radical than the previous split headlights.
If the interior does not consider the color scheme, it should be undisputed "rave reviews". In particular, the 12.3+14.6-inch large screen is easily reminiscent of xiaopeng P7. And the highlight is not only two screens, but more embodied in the intelligent application under the coffee platform behind it. Coupled with the suspension of the center console and other styling designs, as well as Tesla also likes to use the "Mercedes-Benz pocket block", in short, it feels like a full of new forces.
Why do you say "don't consider color matching"? Because in addition to the "normal" gray-black tone (officially called obsidian magnetic field), the mythical beast also provides a very surprising pink and white tone (officially called pink neon). Similarly, for "older" people, at first glance this pink neon will subconsciously sigh: "I'm going!" ”。 However, for young people, or those who accept this style, they will feel a different kind of "freshness".
In addition to the intelligence of the car, the divine beast is also based on the coffee platform, which will focus on the intelligence of intelligent driving. These are all things that the Great Wall system already has, so I will not repeat them.
It's just basic stuff, and there's not much to say. Roughly understood as a variant of the third-generation Haval H6, the size space is slightly larger. The powertrain is also generally the same, but the power calibration is slightly different. At present, it is 1.5T+2.0T, and there will be a DHT version in the next step.
At the configuration level, the mythical beast also adopts a "high-end start" strategy similar to that of the new forces, UNI-T, etc., including panoramic sunroofs, leather seats, power seats and even electric tailgates are standard. However, Uncle Ka also has a place to complain: since the 12.3 + 14.6 inch large screen has been developed, since it is the biggest highlight of the interior, why not be the standard of the whole system? Although, the entry-level 10.25+12.23 dual screen ratio to competitors is already a good one.
At the level of configuration price ratio, after comparison, it can be found that the divine beast in the same configuration is about 10,000 yuan more expensive than the third generation Haval H6. Correspondingly, it is also about 10,000 yuan more expensive than UNI-T. Considering the size advantage of the divine beast, this positioning is also normal.
From the market level, the Divine Beast currently has no particularly typical competitors. If I had to say it, it's a bit like a model somewhere between UNI-T and UNI-K. Of course, another key is that it is Haval's car and not Chang'an's car. For those who like Haval, like lemon + coffee, and at the same time pursue a trendy look, it is equivalent to providing an excellent choice. As for how popular the divine beast can eventually reach, it depends on the size of this part of the group - this answer is believed to be what Haval wants to know.
NIO ET5: Is this surprise big enough?
Brand: NIO
Guidance price: 328,000-386,000 yuan / 258,000 yuan (rental battery)
Level of Concern: ★★★★★ (Very important new pure tram series)
Keywords: second sedan, small ET7, smart no discount, AR/VR, 4.3S, 75/100kWh, 550/700KM, 150kWh, 1000KM, NAD, NT2.0, minimalist interior, NOMI
Although there have been more than N "spoilers" before, it is still a bit surprising that ET5 announced its listing on NIO DAY 2021 in 2021.
But that's normal. The new forces have always been listed first and then offline. Just like ET7, although the 2020 "Nio Day" has been listed, in September this year, the first batch of TT (Tooling Trial) stage trial production cars were rolled off the production line, and the PP (Pre-Production) stage pre-production cars were rolled off the production line in November. As for delivery, the "plan" only opened on March 28, 2022. So for et5, although it is listed, this car is still limited to the "picture + data" stage for us. However, based on the experience brought to us by Weilai ES and EC, as well as various dazzling information in the "data", combined with the final price of ET5, I believe that this "futures" will be very attractive to everyone.
You should still remember the shock brought by the ET7 when it was launched: not only is it a "quasi-solid-state battery", nor is it just a 150kWh battery pack with a 1000kM endurance, but more is the new design and technology (data) brought by NT2.0. I have to admit that Weilai has "balanced" the three words of luxury, simplicity and technology to near perfection, so that it is difficult to hear the spit at the level of design and sensory. From Uncle Ka's personal point of view, this 2.0 is also worthy of the name. Intelligent for the time being, the overall design of the interior alone makes people have an impulse to "order EC now, ES is not as good as ET".
Obviously, ET5 has a much smaller impact on people in this regard. Not because ET5 isn't good enough, but because ET5 is almost a copy of ET7. However, the size is a little smaller, the motor is smaller, and then a little less in some high-end configurations (such as no air suspension, no rear seat ventilation and massage, rear independent air conditioning and multimedia control, etc., steering wheel heating/ front seat ventilation massage and rear seat heating need to be optional). However, in terms of design style and technology equipment, the two cars are roughly comparable. Of course, based on NIO's battery strategy, their batteries are naturally shared. The final corresponding price was 120,000 yuan lower. This invisibly gives people the expectation of "ET7 tree image and ET5 volume".
Based on this, there is not much to say about the commonalities with ET7. Say something different. One is performance, which accelerates "only" by 4.3 seconds, 0.5 seconds slower than ET7. However, this acceleration is already fast enough. Although it is not as BT as Tesla, it can already be on par with the four-wheel drive version of the P7, faster than EC6, and faster than the 1.5 million+ EQS top match... And, correspondingly, the 75kWh battery can achieve 550kM endurance, 50kM more than the ET7.
ET5 does not offer HUD, but it can provide an AR glasses through third-party collaboration. It is said that when you put it on, you can project a large screen with a visual distance of 6 meters, equivalent to 201 inches. There are also VR glasses, which are of an entertainment nature, can achieve 4K display, do not have to struggle with the car without 17-inch giant screen to watch movies is not happy. Not to mention the actual effect of these equipment, but this kind of thinking, Uncle Ka feels that it is completely "possible". Perhaps, it really solves the contradiction between the large screen (interfering with the line of sight) and the small screen (looking uncomfortable)?
Another point that is common to ET7, but still worth mentioning, is the sound system: ET5 has not shrunk, it is still 23 speakers, 7.1.4 Dolby sound, 1000 watts of power. Naturally, the computing power, display effect, and processing speed of the car machine system (the digital cockpit of the third generation of cars) will not shrink.
There's not much to say about the competitive level. The current pure electric is still in a period of rapid growth, and everyone is trying to increase production capacity enclosure. As long as the product is strong enough, you don't have to worry too much about market problems. Therefore, the competition between each other is far less serious than the stock game of fuel vehicles. For example, on the surface, ET5 and Module 3, Xiaopeng P7, etc. will have a competitive relationship, but in fact, there are not many consumers who really weigh their choices between them. Therefore, ET5 ultimately has to overcome itself - quality control must be guaranteed, service should be as always, and production capacity must keep up.
Anyway, ET5 will be a big incremental expectation for the NIO brand. It's just that this expectation will be fulfilled, especially reflected in the sales data, I am afraid it will take a little more than a year...
Song Pro DM-i: The power of DM-i is gradually unfolding?
Listing date: December 22
Brand: BYD
Guidance price: 13.48-15.98 million yuan
Level of Concern: ★★★ (More important NEW PHEV models)
Keywords: DM-i sales outbreak, price difference narrowing, cost-effectiveness is higher
In November 2021, the total sales volume of Song New Energy was close to 20,000 vehicles. Maybe you're getting used to this data. However, looking back: in the whole year of 2020, the sales volume of Song New Energy is about 7,000 vehicles. That is, the sales volume in the month of November 2021 is almost three times that of the whole year of 2020.
Although Song New Energy includes Song PLUS New Energy and Song Pro New Energy, and then specifically divided into plug-in and pure electricity, plug-in continues to be divided into DM and DM-i, but it is not difficult to see from this growth rate - purely because of the outbreak of DM-i. That is to say, more than 90% of Song New Energy's nearly 20,000 sales in November were contributed by Song PLUS DM-i.
When DM-i was first released as a new technology, Uncle Ka said that this thing belonged to revolutionaries. It completely breaks the traditional fuel-driven technology system. The engine has changed roles into generators. From the perspective of the drive system, it is a tram and has almost all the advantages of EVs. At the same time, in terms of refueling, it can be completely similar to fuel vehicles - and it has lower fuel consumption and longer battery life than fuel vehicles. So the DM-i can no longer be seen as a traditional PHEV model. It should be regarded as a strong competitor of traditional fuel vehicles, especially joint venture brand fuel vehicles of the same level - better comprehensive quality (performance, NVH, etc.), lower price (than joint venture oil vehicles), and super fuel-efficient. Pure electric endurance here, has become the icing on the cake (not just needed). Therefore, the sales of DM-i are not on par with PHEV, but should be on par with first-line hot-selling fuel vehicles.
Previously, due to production capacity, DM-i did not roll out on all BYD models at once, but this will be sooner or later. Song Pro DM-i is just a very normal step in this process.
Even so, the basic part of song pro DM-i has nothing to say - basically the same as song plus DM-i. However, in terms of price, Song Pro DM-i is still slightly surprised. For example, its premium type has its own advantages with the premium configuration of the fuel version song pro, and the price is only 14,000 yuan higher. This price difference is less than the price between the Song PLUS DM-i and the fuel version. To put it mildly: How much is the DM-i's 8.3 kWh battery worth?
This shows that with the gradual increase of BYD DM-i's production capacity, its advantage in cost is becoming more and more controllable, and will be gradually reflected in the price.
The same is true of the lateral ratio. For example, compared with the premium type of Song Pro DM-i and the premium type of Song PLUS DM-i, the former price is 5,000 yuan lower, and the configuration is more intelligent driving assistance with full-speed adaptive cruise. Of course, the positioning of Song Pro and Song PLUS is not exactly the same, but this combination at least provides more and more affordable options for everyone.
From the terminal point of view, the main factor affecting BYD DM-i is production capacity rather than market demand. In this case, BYD still gives sincerity in the guidance price, which can indicate that it has a certain plan to increase production capacity. These are likely to be further demonstrated in sales in 2022.
That is to say, DM-i is indeed as originally expected, and its power is gradually unfolding...