Stepping on the throttle pedal of the new generation of NX350h with full force, the noisy and harsh sound of the Atkinson engine was heard in the cabin, and the original excellent tranquility was also broken, which made people frown, and the good mood of the elegant Lexus on the flat road just now disappeared. As a luxury SUV, the hybrid version of the NX is difficult to satisfy. Although the fuel consumption performance in the same level NX hybrid version is still the leader, the test drive of this NX350h full-drive leading version of the comprehensive fuel consumption (WLTC) 5.85L/100km is still very low, but under the continuous progress of the opponent's power technology, the traditional hybrid system such as the smoothness of driving, quietness, and the abundance of power These advantages are gradually being reduced by the opponent and even partially surpassed. Lexus' potential in hybrids seems to have reached a bottleneck.
And Lexus sales seem to have reached a bottleneck. According to official data, Lexus China delivered a total of 226,100 new vehicles to users in 2021, an increase of 1.1% year-on-year, and also achieved the 17th consecutive year of growth. But what needs to be seen is that according to the statistics of the China Automobile Association, in 2021, the domestic high-end brand passenger cars increased by 20.7% year-on-year, and the growth rate of luxury cars in recent years exceeded double digits, and the growth rate of Lexus was obviously lagging behind the market, and the market share was gradually declining. According to the number of domestic new car traffic insurance purchases, the sales of the three Lexus models that are listed in the top ten imported cars in 2021 have all declined.
In terms of specific models, in 2021, although Lexus ES won the first place in imported car sales, it fell by 7.67% year-on-year. The Lexus NX has sold 36,500 units, the lowest in the last three years. On the other hand, the rival BBA peer products, according to the data of the Association, the cumulative sales of Mercedes-Benz GRC, BMW X3 and Audi Q5L in 2021 are more than 120,000 vehicles, and the average monthly sales are more than 10,000 vehicles.
The same as a medium-sized luxury SUV, NX is now a bit awkward in the market, although the starting threshold is low, but the Mercedes-Benz GLC, BMW X3, Audi Q5L and its same configuration of the model is basically the same price point. In addition, these three models have many discounts in the market, and the NX parity is even higher, resulting in the price of NX being higher than that of BBA peers. The price is expensive, the space size is small, and the brand is slightly inferior, so although it is imported originally, consumers are not so buying it.
It is clear that the launch of the new generation of NX is to try to reverse this unfavorable situation, and it will represent the next evolutionary trend of Lexus models.
The new generation of NX has more intelligent technologies, such as the new generation of Lexus intelligent security system LSS+, streaming media interior mirrors, e-Latch intelligent electronic control doors, road traffic recognition, Bluetooth keys, automatic parking system that can be remotely controlled by mobile phones, Internet of Vehicles and OTA upgrades, and larger central control screens and LCD meters.
These smart technologies show that Lexus is not inferior to its rivals in advanced technology. For example, the pre-judgment active driver assistance system PDA and steering wheel button touch tracer function in LSS+3.0 were first adopted in the industry, which also changed lexus's previous lack of intelligence.
After the LSS+ upgrade to version 3.0, the features are even more powerful, especially the deceleration assist function of the pre-judgment active driver assistance system PDA is very advanced - this function can predict traffic risks based on the situation where pedestrians cross the road or the vehicle is facing loss of control, and can respond to the dynamics of the car in front or the curve ahead, automatically assist the driver to slow down, so as to ensure driving safety.
The Steering Wheel Touch Tracer Operation is a new configuration, when the driver touches the sensor buttons on the left and right of the steering wheel, the head-up display will project the key function map to the front window, so that the driver can operate more intuitively and conveniently.
Despite the use of a lot of new technologies along the way, Lexus has a conservative side.
For example, LSS+ is very powerful, but the ACC adaptive cruise function still needs to be set at least 30km/h, which means that driving in urban congestion is usually not enabled.
Demonstration of Lexus remote parking function
The Remote Park remote control parking function with mobile phone remote control is too cumbersome to operate, and when the vehicle is automatically parked with a mobile phone remote control outside the car, it is necessary to constantly draw circles with your fingers on the mobile phone screen, and when a pedestrian approaches the point, the system will exit instead of suspending...
The dramatic improvement of smart technology can certainly attract consumers, but it is actually very risky for Lexus. In the latest 2022 automotive reliability ranking released by J.D.Power, Lexus has dropped from No. 1 last year to No. 6, even lower than Toyota. Although it is only a list for the US market, most of the products can be found in the Chinese market. Interestingly, the average problem for ordinary mainstream car brands is 190, while the average problem for high-end brands is 204, which means that the owners of ordinary mainstream brands encounter fewer problems. On the one hand, the manufacturing quality of ordinary mainstream car brands has been significantly improved, and the difference in quality between high-end car brands and high-end car brands has become smaller and smaller. The main reason for this is that high-end brands often add more smart technology to their cars, as Lexus did this time, which increases the likelihood of problems. The survey ranked the problems related to intelligent systems, with an average of 55.9 questions per 100 vehicles, more than twice as many as other problems.
For Lexus, which takes quality as the main selling point, the narrowing of the quality gap with other brands also means that the competitive advantage is gradually disappearing.
Accelerated electrification is possible
Lexus China is the only way out
From rapid continuous growth to hesitation, Lexus' development in the Chinese market has approached the bottleneck. If you reuse a product that is not much different from before, it is likely to go downhill. What to do? When I tried another plug-in hybrid NX NX400+, I felt that Lexus should have found a way out – accelerated electrification.
The NX400+ is Lexus' first plug-in hybrid model, which on the surface is to increase the original hybrid model power battery pack to 18.12kWh and move from the rear seat to the floor, increasing the charging system, thereby greatly increasing the pure electric range. But in fact, compared to NX hybrid models, the improvement of plug-in hybrid models is huge.
First of all, it is surprising that although the plug-in version of the NX400+ has a curb weight of 1940kg, which is 120kg heavier than the hybrid four-wheel drive version, its power consumption is only 5.21~5.37L/100km, which is significantly lower than the comprehensive fuel consumption of 5.85L/100km of hybrid four-wheel drive. The reason should be that the motor can continuously intervene in the driving within 0-135km/h, improving the efficiency of the system, while the same motor of the hybrid model can only provide pure electric driving within 70km/h, relying more on the efficiency of the engine.
Second, although the engine of the plug-in model will run at full speed during the rapid acceleration, the noise of the plug-in and hybrid engine is significantly smaller, the power output feels more smooth, and the driving texture is more like a luxury model. The mystery lies in the full intervention of the plug-in and hybrid model motor, because the motor plays more roles, the maximum torque speed of the engine is correspondingly reduced by 800 rpm, of course, the noise and vibration are also reduced. And with the help of the motor throughout the process, the system comprehensive power of the plug-in hybrid model reached 195kW, which was better than the 179kW of the hybrid four-wheel drive model, which made the heavier plug-and-mix model 0-100km/h acceleration time only 7.9 seconds, which was very different from the 7.7 seconds of the hybrid four-wheel drive model.
In driving, I think the NX400+ is more reflective of the Lexus Driving Signature concept than the NX350h, such as the chassis is more stable, the ground is better, just like the Adidas running shoe Boost midsole effect, obviously very soft but full of elasticity. The full intervention of the motor gives the vehicle a more excellent linear response, although it is still not "moving", but it really feels free to retract, the sense of controllability is stronger than the old model, and the basic performance of Lexus vehicles has been greatly improved, which is the effect of deeper electrification.
Finally, not to mention the plug-in mixed version can be pure electric driving 73-76km, according to China's policy can have the advantages of free green card, purchase tax reduction, etc., in the guidance price, the better configuration of the plug-and-mix top model is only 24,000 yuan more expensive than the 350h full-drive chuang collar version, less than 5% of the price difference, if calculated according to the landing price, even the plug-in mixed version is cheaper than the hybrid version of nearly 20,000 yuan. The price is attractive enough, not to mention that competitors don't have a mixed product yet.
In December last year, Toyota Motor brought 16 pure electric models to the public, and President Akio Toyoda said that 30 pure electric vehicles will be launched by 2030. It is also expected that by 2030, all models under the Lexus brand will be available in pure electric versions, and 100% pure electric models will be sold in China, North America and Europe, reaching the goal of global sales of 1 million units. By 2035, 100% of the worldwide sales of pure electric models will be realized.
The sudden electric strategy conference obviously surprised Lexus China insiders, and in the communication of the test drive meeting, they also frankly said that this should be a vision, and the key was to see what kind of products Chinese customers wanted. It should be known that in 2021, Lexus China's electrified models will only account for 38.7% of total sales, most of which are hybrid products. All pure electrification in 2030 is definitely a big leap forward, and it may be better to take it step by step.
But Lu Ge believes in President Toyota's judgment that lexus is very necessary to speed up the electrification process.
First of all, as mentioned earlier, the efficiency of the hybrid system has reached a bottleneck, and the driving texture cannot fully take into account the needs of luxury cars, while the plug-in hybrid system and pure electric can obviously perform better. In December 2021, the market penetration rate of plug-in and pure electric passenger cars in China has reached 20.6%, and one out of every 5 vehicles sold is plug-in and pure electric products, and the market acceptance has been very high;
Second, toyota press conference to show 16 pure electric models, showing that related technologies have long been in reserve, and more advanced and safe. Toyota is not unable to build pure electric vehicles, but to choose the right time to launch, the Chinese market is now obviously at the right time, and as a carrier of advanced technology, Lexus is more suitable than Toyota;
Third, Lexus Chinese car owners are obviously more environmentally conscious than other brand owners, and nearly 40% of the electrified models in sales account for second only to BYD among traditional brands, and the acceptance of plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicles will be correspondingly higher.
Lexus China's current situation makes people feel the crisis, but there is a "machine" in the "crisis", Toyota's pure electric strategy and China's booming plug-in and pure electric vehicle market has brought a breakthrough opportunity to Lexus China, Lexus NX400+ is a good starting point, and then it depends on Lexus's determination and speed of advancement.
Statement | Kano
(This article is the author's personal opinion only and does not represent the position of DearAuto.) )
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Mr. Li Guoyong of Guangdong Green Law Firm