On January 20, the second-generation CS75PLUS began pre-sale. On February 28, the second generation of CS75PLUS was officially listed, priced at 124,900-154,900 yuan.
In just one month, the second-generation CS75PLUS received more than 23,000 orders, becoming a "blockbuster model" in the SUV market.
In the past two years, the new crown epidemic has been intermittent, bringing many shadows to the consumer market, and many manufacturers' sales have plummeted by more than double digits, and some have even cut their waists.
In this case, the second-generation CS75PLUS is very prominent without firing first.
To find out why, I went to a 4S store, test-drove a new car, and called a familiar sales consultant to tell you a few interesting signs of what I observed.
The only 1.5T+ Aisin 8AT model on the market
"It was officially launched on February 28, and more than 20 vehicles were sold the next day, and nearly 80% of customers chose the 1.5T+8AT power version." Mr. Zhong, sales manager of Guangzhou Xinxuan Sheng Chang'an 4S store, told me.
(The second-generation CS75PLUS has two powertrains, 1.5T and 2.0T, both with Aisin's 8-speed manual transmission, which is unique in its class.) )
The SUV of the same level is basically equipped with 6DCT, 7DCT, or 6AT, CVT gearbox. For example, CR-V is CVT, Haval H6, Boyue 7DCT, there are individual models of 2.0T version to provide 8AT, but 1.5T with 8AT transmission, the second generation CS75PLUS is the only one.
The 8AT gearbox is Aisin's "treasure of the town house", it is reliable and stable, smooth shifting, fast response, efficient fuel saving, but also greatly reduced maintenance costs. However, aisin 8AT transmission is generally only equipped with high-end models, such as Lexus ES, the 2.5L version is equipped with 8AT, and the 2.0L version uses CVT.
The reason is because the price of Aisin 8AT gearbox is not low, a set of more than 10,000, Imported from Japan. Such an expensive gearbox is mounted on a car priced at 120,000 or 130,000 yuan, which is difficult for many OEMs to make money, and even lose money.
So why did the second-generation Changan CS75PLUS do this? Simply summarized, it is "inner volume".
But from the perspective of consumers, this is not a good thing, when the car companies are rolled up, everyone can buy high-value products.
The Blue Whale NE engine has been recognized by the market
In the past, why were consumers reluctant to buy Chinese brand cars?
There are many reasons, the most important of which is that I think the three major things are not OK.
"Engine, gearbox, chassis" three major parts are the key factors to determine whether the car is good or not, the second generation of CS75PLUS in addition to the gearbox is equipped with 8AT, the engine has also been replaced.
Blue Whale's new generation NE1.5T engine has a maximum power of 138 kW and a maximum torque of 300 N·m. The torque is 57 N·m higher than the CR-V's L15BL engine and 50 N·m higher than tugaku's EA211-DJS engine!
Such power performance can even be compared with individual 2.0T engines, such as the xDrive25i version of bmw X3, and the output of its 2.0T engine is only 135kW/300N·m.
Moreover, with the cooperation of Aisin 8AT gearbox, the comprehensive fuel consumption of 100 kilometers is 6.4 liters, which is even lower than that of CR-V. It can be seen that the comprehensive energy efficiency of the second-generation CS75PLUS 1.5T model is excellent.
Look at the blue whale's new generation of 2.0T engine, the performance is more powerful, the maximum power of 171kW, the maximum torque of 390N·m, comparable to Honda, Ford.
Since the launch of the first Blue Whale NE engine in 2019, the sales of models equipped with Blue Whale NE series engines have reached new highs, and the sales volume of the whole year of 2021 has exceeded 1 million units. This fully shows that the Blue Whale NE engine has been recognized by the market.
If you plan to buy a hundred thousand SUV now, in the face of three major pieces to do better and better, the configuration is much higher than the same level of joint venture car, the price is much cheaper than the second generation CS75PLUS, won't you be impressed?
Good looking, high-end design
Mr. Zhong, the sales manager, told me that most of the customers who have booked the car are first looking at its appearance, and then looking at the three major pieces and configurations.
This is very understandable, after all, everyone likes a person, most of them start from the appearance, and then fall into the talent, loyal to the character.
If a car can't even give consumers a second look, how can they have a deep understanding of the inside?
What's more, the matter of buying a car is mostly the whole family, and the opinions of wives and mothers are very important.
The design method and design theory of the second generation CS75PLUS I will not describe in detail here, I will talk about my real feelings.
After getting on the bus, you can clearly see the designer's intentions.
For example, the second generation of CS75PLUS did not follow the trend of the use of "large screen", but the use of a new double 12.3-inch LCD screen, and the driver as the core of the 8.1 ° arc design, so that the design is more in line with the naked eye line of sight, but also to a certain extent so that the driver can be more convenient to operate, improve driving safety.
Another example is the seat design, the second-generation CS75PLUS rear backrest is adjustable, can also be completely reclined, and is pure flat.
The storage design at the central armrest is also good, which can hold the mobile phone and keys, and does not affect the shift operation.
Also, thoughtful designers have designed a cover for the interior camera, so you don't have to worry about privacy leakage.
In addition, sitting in the car, you will also feel that this car is very high-end.
Its high-end feel is not like some luxury brands piled up by stacking, but through design and exquisite craftsmanship.
The details are very well handled, showing a good texture, the door panel, the central control box, the dashboard, the steering wheel and other touching areas are softly wrapped, the touch is very delicate, the look and feel is very advanced.
These designs have greatly enhanced the emotional value of the car, and it is easy to be planted after seeing the real car.
Entry is high-end, intelligent functions are full
If you ask me, what are the differences between the second-generation CS75PLUS and the joint venture brands of the same level? I think it's the starter version.
Many netizens jokingly called the introductory version a beggar version. The reason is that the configuration of the entry-level version of many models is nothing, just like "beggars".
(Some car websites have planned a selection of topics about whether the beggar version is worth buying)
The second generation of Changan CS75PLUS is very sincere.
The whole series is equipped with Aisin 8AT, through-line streamer LED front position light, 12.3-inch dual screen, 540 ° high-definition panoramic image, giant screen panoramic sunroof, 6 airbags.
(The 540° panoramic image equipped with the second-generation Changan CS75PLU uses four 1 million pixel 180-degree fisheye cameras, which can fully display the real scene around the body in 720P quality in a panoramic view, and can even be displayed in 3D, and the road surface is displayed in all directions.) ）
It should be known that the entry version of many joint venture brands at the same level does not have a car machine, and the high-end model is equipped with 360 ° high-definition image.
The second-generation CS75PLUS is not only equipped with the start-up version, but also has intelligent functions to be full.
For example, the second-generation CS75PLUS equipped with Changan Automobile's first intelligent W-HUD head-up display technology, unlike most HUD technologies on the market, Changan Automobile's W-HUD with navigation function, as well as energy-saving assistant tips.
The APA5.0 automatic parking system equipped with the second-generation CS75PLUS not only realizes basic horizontal parking, vertical parking, oblique parking, remote control access functions, but also has a "follow-up function".
In addition, the second-generation CS75PLUS also has a new generation of FACE ID face recognition IMS intelligent interaction system, after recognizing the owner, it will automatically adjust the steering wheel and seat position according to the user's driving habits, and set the vehicle. The user only needs to tap the brakes and the second-generation CS75PLUS will start.
"Many customers will be surprised by the intelligent function when they come to see the car for the first time. The joint venture car of the same level cannot be compared with the second-generation CS75PLUS. Mr. Zhong, the sales manager, told me.
{ Write at last }
Seeing this, some people will ask, can't the joint venture car company create a model of equal level, low price and high quality?
In this matter, we cannot blame the poor ability of the joint venture car company, but only blame it for its slow response.
For example, in a joint venture car company, there are more than 8,000 R&D personnel in the European headquarters, and only 300 people in China. New car development work is carried out in Europe, which leads to a long decision-making chain, involving many links, coupled with good European welfare, employees reject 996. So, gradually, the products of the joint venture brand cannot keep up with the rapidly changing demand in the Chinese market.
Changan Automobile is different, it is native, grew up from the masses, is the brand that understands what the people need.
(At present, Chang'an has a "six countries and nine places" global collaborative research and development system, with more than 11,000 engineers and technicians from 24 countries around the world, as of November 2021, it has a total of 6252 domestic and foreign patents, including 1634 invention patents, and has mastered more than 200 core technologies in the field of intelligence...) ）
Therefore, we can see that in 2021, when there is only single-digit growth in the market (according to the China Automobile Association, China's automobile sales in 2021 will increase by 3.8% year-on-year), and the sales of Chinese brand passenger cars in Changan will exceed 1.2 million units, up 23.1% year-on-year.
Among them, CS75PLUS is the most typical representative. It was only launched for more than two years, but quickly became one of the best-selling SUV items in the Chinese market. In 2019, the annual sales volume of the Changan CS75 series ranked only sixth in China's SUV sales list; in 2021, the cumulative sales volume of the whole year exceeded 280,000 vehicles, throwing off the joint venture competitors and rising to the runner-up position in the SUV sales list.
After the launch of the second-generation CS75PLUS with stronger product strength, the gap with the joint venture competitors is bound to further widen, and the sales crown in 2022 is likely to be it.
(The cumulative sales of the CS75 series in 2021 exceeded 280,000 years.) In January this year, the monthly sales of the CS75 car series exceeded 30,000 units, ranking at the top of the total SUV sales list. ）
Text | Li Jianbo