Changan UNI frequent brand independent push the first car to rush higher sales?

Reporters Duan Chuting and Zhao Yi reported in Shenzhen

Since the birth of Changan Automobile's high-end sequence UNI, the rumors of brand independence have not stopped.

Previously, Zhu Huarong, chairman of Changan Automobile, said in a public speech in August 2021: "Some small partners are very much looking forward to UNI branding, we understand it very well, leave a little mystery for the time being, and listen to the next decomposition." ”

With the passage of time, some media reported that "the dust has settled on the clear establishment of the UNI brand", which has once again attracted much attention from the branding of the Changan UNI sequence.

Photo: Courtesy of Changan Automobile's UNI-V brand

The reporter of China Business Daily also recently asked Changan Automobile insiders to verify this information, and the other party said: "The specific leaders are still studying and thinking, and have not yet received accurate information that they want to be independent." ”

Behind the rumors and responses, why does the UNI sequence carry the expectation of independent branding? When combing through the data, the reporter noted that according to the information on the high-end positioning of the UNI sequence, existing models and prices, the UNI sequence is regarded as the "gravitational force" that drives the Changan Automobile brand upwards.

According to the official website of Changan Automobile, the UNI sequence has a compact SUV UNI-T, a medium-sized SUV UNI-K, a UNI-KiDD hybrid version, and the UNI-V, the first car recently launched.

From the perspective of price, the starting price of UNI-T, which has been put on the market, is 115,900 yuan, while the starting price of UNI-K and UNI-KiDD hybrid versions has risen to 145,900 yuan and 176,900 yuan respectively, and the price of the latter top version model is closer to 200,000 yuan. The manufacturer guidance price of the popular model CS75PLUS referring to the Changan Automobile SUV camp is 117,900 yuan to 154,900 yuan, which shows that the UNI-K and UNI-KiDD hybrid versions carry the expectation of increasing the price of products.

In terms of sales, the UNI-T, the first model of the UNI sequence, was officially launched in June 2020, and it has sold 69,000 units in the six months after the launch, with an average monthly sales of more than 10,000 units. In the past 2021, Changan Automobile announced that the cumulative sales of UNI sequences exceeded 120,000 units for the whole year, including UNI-T, UNI-K and other models.

In contrast, the growth momentum of the second year of the listing of UNI sequences is slightly weaker than that of the first year of listing. When the reporter visited Changan Automobile's 4S store in Shenzhen, he also noticed that some dealers placed the UNI sequence and other models of Changan Automobile in two stores, making a distinction between the two.

The above-mentioned Changan Automobile insider also explained to reporters: "The UNI series is positioned as a high-end product sequence of Changan Automobile passenger cars, and its products, services, operations, and sales are independent, so in terminal sales, there is no collusion with the original classic products, and it is constantly doing switching and segmentation." ”

In December 2021, Changan Automobile also released a new service brand, UNI Service, whose brand experience space has been completed in five cities: Chongqing, Nanjing, Qingdao, Beijing and Changsha, all located in the core life business districts of the city. However, Changan Automobile also stressed at that time that UNI Service will not only serve 200,000 UNI car owners, but also expand to all brands of Changan and become the owner's home of Changan users.

From the perspective of terminal retail and car owner services, the Changan UNI sequence is gradually plumping up the "wings", but when to truly achieve independent branding, it is still mysterious.

In terms of product layout, following UNI-T, UNI-K and other SUV models, Changan Automobile also officially launched the first car in the UNI sequence - UNI-V, and launched 4 configuration models in the whole series, with an official price of 108,900 yuan to 131,900 yuan, becoming the lowest entry-priced model in the existing products of the UNI sequence.

The reporter noted that UNI-V is the first car built based on the Ark architecture of Changan Automobile. Relevant data show that the Ark architecture is a smart architecture that integrates multiple forms, multiple energy sources and multiple scenarios, and is also the landing of the new car-making concept of Changan Automobile's R&D 4.0 era.

Changan Automobile also said that the official listing of UNI-V not only further boosts the market influence and competitiveness of the UNI sequence, but also indicates that the UNI sequence has once again ushered in an advanced technological strength.

As a 100,000 yuan sedan, UNI-V will face many competitors, in this price range, both joint venture brand cars "entrenched", but also independent brand cars "intruder". How did the newcomer UNI-V stand out?

According to Changan Automobile, as a five-door hatchback coupe, UNI-V achieves a height-to-width ratio of 0.78 and axle-length ratio of 0.59, creating a lower body and a more athletic posture.

In terms of power, the blue whale new generation NE1.5T high-pressure direct injection engine equipped with UNI-V has a maximum power of 138 kW and can output 300 N·m peak torque at 1500 rpm. The Blue Whale 7-speed wet dual-clutch transmission matching the engine adopts the transient torque control technology for the first time, which can be judged based on the driving intention, and actively controls the transient transmission torque of the clutch, absorbs the impact of the engine on the transmission system during acceleration, and improves the acceleration linearity and transient response.

At the same time, thanks to the intelligent driving layout of the Ark architecture, the APA6.0 remote intelligent parking system was first mass-produced on UNI-V. The system includes a key parking assistance in the car, a key remote control direct in and out assistance, a key one key parking assistance, remote mobile phone remote control parking assistance, self-search parking assistance and other functions.

According to Changan Automobile, the UNI sequence will also bring more diversified product forms in the future, compatible with diversified power systems, and meet the needs of diversified users. Among them, the Blue Whale iDD hybrid system and the UNI-V equipped with 2.0T power will meet with users as soon as the second quarter.

(Editor: Zhao Yi Proofreader: Yan Jingning)