In an already competitive field, especially when a large number of products are homogenized, there will always be people who stand up to change the pattern in order to better meet the needs of users; consumers will also be more full of expectations for such products. To promote change, of course, it will require new players to be strong enough to have "two brushes" to break down barriers and reshape the pattern.
The joint venture mid-size SUV market is such a red sea. At present, the pricing of mainstream joint venture medium-sized SUV products is generally 200,000 yuan, and individual products that highlight "cost performance" are at least 170,000 yuan or more. Therefore, if the current household intermediate SUV market is already a sardine-filled fish tank, then Jiangling Ford Technology's official listing on March 28, the official guidance price of 139,800-165,800 yuan, is a catfish trying to stir this water that has little oxygen.
Because the starting price of a joint venture medium-sized SUV is set at 139,800 yuan, for all joint venture brands, it is tantamount to a "declaration of war". In the case of Jiangling Ford Technology, "value-added" is the core path for Lingrui to reshape the 100,000-200,000 home SUV market. So, for the image of "intermediate SUV challenger" created by Jiangling Ford Technology for Lingrui, can it pry the concept of "super value" in your heart? Can it break through the boundaries and open up a new situation in the joint venture brand home mid-level SUV market?
A new starting point: value-added lean-on technology
Although "value and non-value" includes many factors such as appearance aesthetics and brand power outside the product force, there is no absolute measurement standard as mathematics, physics and chemistry, and it is not a "quantitative" science, but many times for the car, the horizontal comparison of power parameters and scientific and technological configurations is a "homework" that must be done.
Lingrui launched a total of four models, all powered by the Ford EcoBoost 170 1.5T engine, providing 170 horsepower and 260N·m maximum torque; the standard Magna 7-speed wet dual-clutch transmission is "the same configuration" as the BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA, highlighting the high cost performance. In addition, the chassis of the new car adopts a new design, the suspension and chassis have been adjusted to the Trust-Mark Ford global standard; on the driving system, C-EPS electronic power steering, Bosch 9.3ESP high dynamic version, hill assist/slow descent system, automatic parking, etc. have not fallen, which can be described as "sincere" in the horizontal comparison of the same level.
In terms of science and technology, it is the point of strength of this lingrui. 12.3-inch suspension integrated smart interface, all equipped with Tencent TAI 4.0 intelligent car machine system, even if it is an entry-level model, WeChat one-click start, OTA online upgrade and voice recognition control system for air conditioning, sunroof, navigation and multimedia interaction can be realized, and did not adopt many joint venture car companies in the middle and high equipped to configure similar technology practices.
At the same time, Lingrui is equipped with the Ford Co-Pilot360 Intelligent Driving Assistance System, which can realize APA 5.0 fusion vision automatic parking, LRAS trail reversing assistance, and Tesla's same DCLC intelligent lane change assist function. This L2+ level automatic assistance system features more than 20 intelligent driver assistance technologies, such as traffic congestion assistance, fifth-generation ACC full-speed domain intelligent adaptive cruise with queuing function, forward collision warning/automatic emergency braking, lane keeping, lane departure warning, and even traffic sign recognition. Although these functions have been installed in high-level new energy vehicles, they are rare in fuel vehicles with joint venture products.
This can be done because Lingrui has adopted more than 20 high-specification fusion sensor solutions that are on the same line as high-end intelligent new energy vehicles. Taking the hardware as an example, it is equipped with 2 monocular cameras, 3 millimeter wave radars, 4 surround view cameras, and 12 ultrasonic radars, providing 360-degree accurate perception of the auxiliary system without dead angles, so that the owner can respond more quickly and accurately to complex car scenes.
Mobileye EyeQ4's vision solution based on the vehicle-grade SOC chip can effectively identify and process lane lines, vehicles, pedestrians, traffic signs and brake status signals; and its Infiniton AURIX TriCore radar processing chip has also been adopted by Audi, which can accurately and safely provide more powerful computing power support for more than 20 active safety protection functions. Lingrui can be described as the "intelligence" of realizing cross-level intelligent new energy vehicles with fuel vehicles, considering this price space and the identity of joint venture products, there is no opponent in the market that can be "matched".
Not only wide body + large space, from the bone quality to create from the inside to the outside of the "super value"
Compared with the power and technology of the "science student category", the appearance and space of a car are more emotional. Although space cannot be absolutely data-based comparison, it can still be referenced; and the aesthetics of appearance belong to the category of "psychology" of opinion.
Space speaks naturally, especially for the Chinese consumer market, which places a special emphasis on in-car driving space.
Lingrui's body size is 4630× 1935×1706mm, wheelbase 2726mm, from the wheelbase point of view, its spatial performance is in the middle and upper level of intermediate SUVs. But in fact, it has been specially optimized for its specific purpose, and the wide body of 1935mm is unparalleled in its class, and the knee space and aisle space have reached 117mm and 295mm respectively, which has enough space competitiveness. Moreover, even for entry-level models, Lingrui is also equipped with a panoramic sunroof that can be opened as standard, achieving a "bonus" effect for the space.
In terms of appearance, Lingrui inherits the existing American "atmosphere" style of the Ford brand, using a "potential energy aesthetic" front face and wide-body body design. Its intake grille is a large-size rounded octagon, the internal chrome trim strip resembles dragon scale armor, the front LED headlights on both sides use the "Dragon Eye" split type, the hook-shaped daytime running lights are combined with the front grille, and the far and near lights are integrated with the lower encirclement, which raises the visual focus while making the entire front face appear tense. In order to match the wide-body design and enhance the effect, the body side and tail are relatively simple, but the tail, whether it is the headlights or the scale-type ripple design at the width indication lights on the lower sides, echoes the front face.
The cockpit in the car also shows the simple atmosphere of "American style", especially the medium and high-end models use two 12.3-inch suspension screens, which are connected into one, which greatly enhances the atmosphere of science and technology. For a sense of premium, it is also equipped with 64-color in-car mood lights with a wrap-around layout, with a variety of scenario modes such as start surround, welcome breath, door opening warning, driving mode, etc.
It's not just optimized in terms of appearance and space. For example, by optimizing the engine compartment layout, Lingrui has expanded the driver's lower field of vision angle, and the front field of view blind area has reached the lowest 6.4 degrees in the same class, further enhancing the vision advantage of SUV models. For a joint venture brand mid-size SUV, in this price range, Lingrui will highlight the "value" in every detail.
Lingrui's "value" is not limited to the technology, appearance and space that can be intuitively perceived. For American products that are known for their "hardcore" and "safe", it also incorporates high quality into "bones". The new car adopts the structural design of the new half-frame front subframe, which makes it have better crash safety and reliability than the traditional Yuanbaoliang model, while the 360° cage ring design body skeleton and the "eight horizontal and six vertical" body skeleton, while constituting multiple collision transmission channels, improve the integrity and continuity of the body, and strengthen the body stiffness performance.
The proportion of strong steel materials in the new car is 65.4%, and the key parts such as A/B columns and door frame structures are made of aviation-grade 1500Mpa high-strength boron steel, which reaches the strength level of the landing gear of aviation aircraft. It is best understood by numbers: it is more than 4 times stronger than ordinary steel, and it can withstand more than 15 tons of pressure per square centimeter, which is equivalent to the weight of two elephants in an area of one square centimeter.
In addition to the key parts, its door also adopts thermoforming door knocker design, which improves the structural strength of the frontal bias and side collision; the side door frame reinforcement ring adopts laser welding integral thermoforming technology for the first time, which reduces the weight by 1.1kg compared to the traditional process while improving the strength. Such "quality value" can be described as the best interpretation of the Ford brand's product requirements, and it is also a place that is not easy to reach with the naked eye and the senses.
Of course, the most obvious value of Lingrui is still reflected in its one-step pricing strategy, giving users the most sincere benefits. Compared with the previous joint venture SUV products of this level, Lingrui directly reduced the starting price by 40,000-60,000 yuan, while the matching technology, power, space and quality were only higher, stronger and better. On the occasion of the launch of the new car, Jiangling Ford Technology also launched six major gifts such as the deposit expansion gift that car buyers can enjoy, the first owner's exclusive engine and transmission core components lifetime warranty, lifelong free data traffic, etc., once again full of "value".
Jiangling Ford Lingrui is the latest model to land the "Ford China 2.0" strategy, and it is also the first model on the market after the establishment of Jiangling Ford Automotive Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. The new role positioning of Jiangling Ford Technology is "challenger", under the concept of "new four modernizations" of "specialization, differentiation, personalization and rejuvenation", it accelerates the expansion and layout of the passenger car market, and becomes the "pioneer" of the Ford brand to challenge itself and subvert itself.
Under such a positioning, Lingrui naturally also assumes the role of the most challenging piece of the puzzle. With the listing of Lingrui, the matrix of Jiangling Ford Technology products is more perfect; what's more, whether it is from the powertrain, chassis to technology configuration, to the internal design and targeted optimization and quality support, Lingrui is obviously prepared.
As China's auto market enters the era of stock competition, in the face of increasingly fierce market competition, whether Lingrui can leverage the concept of "value-added" in the hearts of consumers and successfully establish the image of a joint venture brand intermediate SUV challenger, consumers who "have a shot in their hearts" will soon give the answer.
Written by 丨 Wang Dong