In the latest announcement of the declaration map information, in addition to the new models, Reed brother found that these new models are also worthy of attention, including the new Fox, the new Binyue, the new Binrui and the new Geely ICON.
These models are not unfamiliar to consumers, and the reason why they are worth paying attention to is because the engines in their declaration information are replaced by four-cylinder engines, and the 1.3T three-cylinder engine of the current model has no declaration information, which also means that these new cars will use back four-cylinder engines.
As early as 2005, Fox entered the Chinese market, with monthly sales of more than 40,000 vehicles, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the top pillar of Changan Ford. However, in 2018, after Fox adopted three-cylinder engines in all series, its market sales fell off a cliff, and now its average monthly sales are less than 2,000 vehicles.
Geely ICON and Geely Binrui, which are owned by Geely, still have good market performance in the early stage of listing, but the staying power is obviously insufficient.
Can let for Ford and Geely and other big factories have to get off, the three-cylinder engine is really so destructive?
Everyone doesn't want to be a guinea pig
In fact, the three-cylinder engine in the domestic market has long been applied. In 1986, Xiali was equipped with a three-cylinder engine code-named TJ376. Compared with the four-cylinder engine at that time, this three-cylinder engine had lower manufacturing costs, lighter weight, and easier maintenance, making Xiali the "national car" of the year.
However, due to the structure and process materials, Xiali's engine was complained about by consumers in the following years, with its large jitter, loud noise and uneven power output. It may be at this time that the inherent impression of the Chinese people on the three-cylinder engine has taken shape.
The reason why the three-cylinder engine shakes is large is determined by its own structure. We take the four-cylinder engine as an example, after the four-cylinder engine completes a work cycle, the crankshaft needs to rotate 720 °, and when the crankshaft rotates 180°, there will be a cylinder ignition in the four-cylinder engine to do the work, so as to ensure that the power output is consistent and smooth.
The working principle of the three-cylinder engine is no different from the four-cylinder engine, but it should be known that the ignition angle of the three-cylinder engine is 240 °, which is equivalent to a cylinder to do a job, and it is necessary to wait for the crankshaft to rotate 60 °, and the other cylinder only begins to work, so the power output of the three-cylinder engine is not as smooth as the four-cylinder machine, and with the aging of the material, there will be a problem of large jitter in the follow-up.
Since there are so many drawbacks, why are car companies still willing to use three-cylinder engines?
The main reason is that the policy is limited. In 2017, the Measures for the Parallel Management of Average Fuel Consumption of Passenger Car Enterprises and New Energy Vehicle Credits stipulates that the average fuel consumption target value of vehicles by 2020 is 5.0L/100km, otherwise car companies will face heavy penalties.
In order to meet the standards, car companies have looked at three-cylinder machines that are smaller, lighter and have relatively better fuel economy.
Due to the smaller number of cylinders, the three-cylinder unit is smaller, lighter in weight and relatively better in fuel economy. And with the development of industrial technology, the three-cylinder engine has been greatly upgraded in terms of power and noise.
Looking at the current domestic market, there are only three kinds of best-selling three-cylinder engine models, one is a three-cylinder engine model with high discounts, such as Buick Yinglang; the second is a drive motor assist, such as Lynk & Co 06; and the last is a three-cylinder engine model that has no direct impact on power output, such as the ideal ONE.
From the perspective of the three-cylinder engine models that Rudder has tested, such as Buick Veyron, Chevrolet Chuangjie, etc., the NVH performance, jitter and power output of the whole vehicle are basically the same as the four-cylinder engine, and compared with the competitors of the same level, the fuel consumption level of these models is also excellent. It is worth saying that the Chevrolet 1.3T inline three-cylinder engine also entered the list of the 2021 Ward Top Ten Engines.
However, even if the black technology is more plus the consumer's personal test drive, consumers are still unwilling to pay, the most direct reason is: not shaking now, can not mean that the future will not shake, spend tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of mice for no one is willing.
It's not rude.
Stop loss in time to go further
Ford Motor is one of the few car companies that pays attention to "global synchronization", and many products are not much different from overseas markets. However, the decline in sales of three-cylinder models proves that car companies can create different products according to the market is the real king.
According to the information that has been exposed, the new Focus will replace the original 1.5L/1.5T three-cylinder engine with a 1.6L/1.6T four-cylinder engine, of which the 1.6L model will match the 6MT/6AT transmission, and the 1.6T model will match the 8AT transmission, which is expected to be unveiled in the second quarter of this year. Detailed parameters for the engine have not been announced, but it is certain that the two engines will be newly developed by Ford.
At present, Ford Motor has implemented the "Ford China 2.0" strategy for the Chinese market, and will set up a product modeling center and design center in China, and strive to return to the mainstream track within three years. Based on the new strategy and the characteristic design of other domestic models, the new Focus will use a breathing 3D "kinetic scale armor" grille and a larger central control screen.
Brother Reel believes that after one more cylinder, Fox's market sales performance will pick up. As for whether it can return to the peak of sales, Brother Rudder can not guarantee, after all, Fox sales are always in the middle and lower reaches of the reason, in addition to the three-cylinder engine, there are also problems such as slow gearbox shifting.
Last year, Geely Automobile sold 1328029 new vehicles and announced an annual sales target of 1.65 million vehicles this year, which is enough to compete with many joint venture brands. However, it is worth noting that the "China Star" series, the Lynk & Co brand and overseas markets account for the majority of sales, while some of Geely Automobile's products are only "hot for a while", such as Geely ICON (monthly sales have always hovered around 1,000 vehicles) and Binrui (the monthly sales of the current Binrui hovered around 2,000 vehicles, although the three-cylinder engine has been cancelled, but the positioning overlaps with the Emgrand series, so it is difficult for sales to improve).
In particular, Geely ICON attracted a large number of fans with its unique shape at the beginning of the listing, and the limited edition model was "sold out in seconds", but the 48V-BSG mild hybrid system + 1.5T three-cylinder engine powertrain made many consumers prohibitive.
According to the latest filing information, the new ICON will use a 1.5T turbocharged engine code-named BHE15-EFZ, which is the same code name as the pure fuel 1.5T engine in the Thor power matrix released by Geely, so it is certain that the new car will use a four-cylinder engine, and the power of this engine will be higher than the current 130kW.
After the efforts of major car companies, consumers' rejection of the three-cylinder engine is not so obvious, but the major car companies have announced the cancellation of the research and development of large-displacement engines and turned to the field of pure electric vehicles. In the future, if you still want to enjoy the fun of fuel vehicles, the three-cylinder engine may be one of the few choices, and it is OK and cherish it.