Standing at the fork in the fork in the new energy industry, many car companies have chosen to use intelligence and three electric technology as the "two wings" to break through homogeneous competition, which GAC Aean has also chosen this path, but has higher requirements in product quality and process, of which AION LX Plus, which was completed in early January, is the best example.
As the first new car launched by GAC Aeon in 2022, AION LX Plus based on the AION LX redesign and upgrade has launched a total of 4 configuration models, with a price range of 286,600-459,600 yuan.
Yes, you read it right, the highest match is in the 450,000 range, the one with this courage in front of it is the Extreme Fox Alpha T blessed by Huawei, but people are really reaching the unmanned L3 level technology, and the other is the Great Wall's Salon brand of mecha dragon, and where does GAC Aean's courage come from?
★ Summary of the highlights of the new car: the shape is upgraded, and the sense of premium is still the same
For the majority of consumers, which configuration model is more worth recommending? In addition, compared to other mainstream competitors, how competitive is AION LX Plus compared to competitors? Before answering the question, we may wish to review the styling and power highlights of the new car, and then make comments and recommendations on each version from the specific configuration or differences that consumers pay attention to.
First of all, in terms of appearance design, GAC AION LX Plus basically continues the current family design style, but compared with AION LX, the front face of the new car that has been widely adjusted and optimized is obviously more exquisite and fashionable, and classic elements such as suspended roofs and hidden door handles still appear, and the overall scientific and technological atmosphere and sense of futurism are very strong.
Unlike the interior of AION LX, GAC Aion LX Plus has been equipped with a new design idea, a separate 15.6-inch central control screen has replaced the previous dual screen design, and the emergence of the panoramic sky canopy has also replaced the previous panoramic sunroof.
In addition, in terms of space, the size of the new car is basically consistent with the AION LX, but the body length has been extended due to the placement of the bottom battery, the wheelbase and other parameters have not changed much, and the better riding comfort experience has also been continued.
In addition, in terms of power, GAC Aion AION LX Plus offers two different power motor versions, the maximum power and peak torque are 180kW/350N·m and 360kW/700N·m, respectively, of which the four-wheel drive version of zero hundred acceleration performance is only 3.9 seconds fastest.
In terms of battery and battery life, the new car provides two kinds of battery packs of 93.3kWh and 144.4kWh, and the comprehensive working mileage supports 600km, 650km and 1008km.
★ Recommended review: The main 80D flagship version
Next, we interpret the configuration and cost-effective sincerity from the following four configuration models.
1. 80 Zhizun Edition
Price after subsidy: 286,600 yuan
Version review: The introductory configuration is sincere and can meet the travel needs of most users
As an entry-level model of GAC Aian AION LX Plus, the 80 Extreme Edition with a price of 286,600 yuan after subsidies has actually met the needs of most users, such as the more practical 360-degree panoramic visual parking assistance system, 540-degree intelligent image (transparent chassis), electric tailgate, etc. all appear, in addition, the intelligent driving assistance system supports integrated cruise assistance ICA, full-speed adaptive cruise system ACC and automatic lane change assist ALC, and the intelligent configuration is satisfactory.
Looking at the configuration table, it is not difficult to find that the rich intelligent and entertainment configuration is the biggest selling point of the AION LX Plus, 12.3-inch high-definition full LCD smart meter + 15.6-inch high-definition touch screen + 10 speaker ALPINE alpine brand audio is the key to attracting young people, so as far as daily transportation is concerned, the entry-level model has been able to do an excellent job.
2. 80D flagship version
Manufacturer guidance price: 329,600 yuan
Version comments: Dual motor four-wheel drive boost performance upgrade, in line with young people's driving control expectations
For new energy vehicles, endurance is more concerned by users than performance, but how to choose under the premise that the endurance difference is quite 100km?
Compared with the entry-level model, although the 80D flagship version has an additional price of 43,000 yuan and a cruising range of 50km less, under the blessing of the increased rear motor and snow driving mode, the advantage brought by the dual motor four-wheel drive system is the ultimate driving experience of 3.9 seconds to break the hundred, which is obviously what young "tide makers" are looking forward to.
In addition, in terms of practicality, the 80D flagship version provides a high-precision map, a capacitive HOD steering wheel, ADiGO 3.0 intelligent driving assistance system, including ultra-long distance memory parking, intelligent driving assistance system (over-the-horizon summoning parking) and NAPPA leather material seats, on the whole, the performance of this version and intelligent technology equipment are obviously more advantageous, and the excellent product power brought by the extra 43,000 yuan is satisfactory.
3. 80DMAX version
Manufacturer guidance price: 409,600 yuan
Version review: "black technology" is enough, suitable for smart "enthusiasts"
As one of the four-drive version launched by AION LX Plus, the 80D MAX version is only reflected in the number of smart hardware compared with the 80D flagship version, such as 12 cameras, 6 millimeter wave radars and the only 3 lidar in the family, the rest of the configuration is fully maintained with the 80D flagship version, and the price is 80,000 yuan more.
With a larger number of hardware and richer technical reserves, the 80D MAX version has become the only model in the family model equipped with high-speed NDA intelligent pilot assistance system enhancement and urban road intelligent driving assistance system, which means that this version of the intelligent driving assistance system has a higher level, but in terms of the practicality of end users, it is actually not as good as the 80D flagship version.
Fourth, the Thousand Mile Edition
Manufacturer guidance price: 459,600 yuan
Version review: Strong battery life but low technology configuration, do not make a wide range of recommendations
As the most expensive model in the AION LX Plus family, the 1000-mile version priced at 459,600 yuan is actually not very eye-catching, and the biggest highlight of the new car compared to the other three models is only in the endurance, and the only use of sponge silicon anode chip battery technology in battery technology. Other smart features are a lot worse, I don't know what the product manager thinks?
Under the battery pack with a capacity of up to 144.4 kWh, the Qianli version equipped with a front-mounted single motor can achieve a pure electric mileage of up to 1008km under the comprehensive working conditions of NEDC, but it is even inferior to the entry-level model in terms of intelligent equipment, so the Qianli version is not recommended in a wide range.
★ Who are the competitors? How competitive is it compared to AION LX Plus?
From the perspective of product positioning, AION LX Plus is currently the mainstream competitor on the market is Weilai ES6 and BYD Tang EV, through the comparison of the lowest price of the three entry-level version can be seen that Weilai Automobile has higher requirements for the overall configuration of the ES6 series, and the starting model is equipped with dual motor four-wheel drive, which also makes the price policy not as "close to the people" as AION LX Plus and Tang EV.
Therefore, in terms of the entry-level comparison between AION LX Plus and Tang EV, BYD Tang EV occupies an absolute advantage in size, although the wheelbase is 100mm less, but the setting of the seven-seat SUV is obviously more attractive.
In addition, Tang EV adopts a lower flat ratio and a larger rim size tire specification, which means that the AION LX Plus is not too conspicuous in the driving experience, but given the higher entry-level price of the AION LX Plus, the peak performance of the motor and the battery pack capacity are slightly dominant.
It is worth mentioning that if you look at the consumer's car purchase budget range of 250,000-450,000 yuan, there are also Music Machine-E, domestic Tesla Model Y and even BMW Brilliance iX3 with AION LX Plus "price", which are potential competitors of AION LX Plus.
Therefore, in the configuration of the similar price version, the AION LX Plus equipped with solid-state lidar, silicon-containing anode lithium battery, high-end driving assistance, etc. is indeed more sincere, but for potential consumers in different price ranges, the luxury brand power under the same price point will be the last straw to impress their final car purchase orientation, that is, young users who are very focused on intelligent equipment, the entry level of AION LX Plus can be satisfied. However, for consumers who consider brand power and residual value performance at the same price point, the "one-step in place" of luxury brands is obviously more attractive, after all, the trend of growth in luxury car consumption in China is obvious to the outside world.
Conclusion: Overall, GAC Aion AION LX Plus product highlights are indeed very eye-catching, rich practical configuration makes the entry level can meet the needs of most users, in the driving performance of further 80D flagship version is obviously more worthy of young users' attention, in addition, from the price range of more than 450,000 yuan, the brand power advantage of BMW Brilliance iX3 is obviously more competitive, Aeon in this price range is like a "joke"!