Text/Hu Yao
Photo/From official
Asia Dragon - Three years ago, as the second model to enter China under the Toyota TNGA structure (the first model was Yize), with its domineering name, B+ class body, and quality comparable to Lexus ES, it broke through 10,000 units in the month of listing, and this average monthly sales has been maintained to this day. It can be said that the Asian Dragon of that year not only made a good start for FAW Toyota's 2019 product year, but also made the TNGA architecture slowly penetrate the hearts of the people.
Three years later, when the Asian Dragon came under the name of "brand new", consumers and the media were full of more expectations for it. However, when the new Asian Dragon was released on March 30, the author found that the new Asian Dragon is still equipped with 2.0L and 2.5L matching CVT, and it is still the familiar set of 2.5L hybrids. There is no change in the power system, the appearance of the change is not much, according to the conventional understanding, this should not be regarded as a new model, can only be called a modified model.
However, for an old joint venture like FAW Toyota, which has always been known for its rigor (and even sometimes more conservative), since it has been given a "new" definition, what is its internal logic? The author then called Mr. Li Xiang, director of the Southwest Division of FAW Toyota, to conduct an interview on the questions in his heart.
"In Toyota's research and development, there is a difference between replacement and new, and if there are changes such as powertrain and architecture, it will be called a new generation. The life cycle of the new replacement model is generally 4-8 years, and the Asian Dragon has been listed for three years, and it is also the 2.5L version, the 2.5L hybrid version, and the 2.0L version that have been launched successively. Therefore, for FAW Toyota, according to the design form of Toyota's R&D and modification, the 'new Asian Dragon' is not a replacement or a mid-term modification, but a small modification sequence of products. So why is a small modification sequence called a 'brand new' product, because it goes beyond the usual small modification of goods, not only involving the appearance and interior, but also in the dashboard components, electronic display screens, and intelligent product upgrades. For consumers, although it is not a replacement, it has been larger than the special decoration and small modification of the modification, the annual new title from manufacturing to marketing are in name. ”
From Mr. Li Xiang's detailed reply, we can see such a logic: Toyota R & D has a replacement, a mid-term redesign, a major improvement, a small modification of the R & D classification, and the new Asian dragon belongs to the category of major improvement, in the production and marketing of goods is called "annual new", then Mr. Li Xiang said that the nominal standard upgrade, the so-called "big improvement" in what places?
Seeing is believing, when the author walked into the Best Toyota showroom, it happened that the new Asian Dragon had already shown the car to the store, and the old Asian Dragon still had the last two for sale, and the difference between the old and the new was clearly visible.
Upgrade again from TSS to TSS 2.5 Active Security
TSS (Toyota Safety Sense) intelligent safety system can best reflect the most important point in Toyota's car-making logic - safety, people-oriented. Toyota believes that the car that does not have an accident is the safest car, and any accident will bring loss and injury to the car to a greater or lesser extent. Therefore, Toyota has spared no effort in the cost of active and passive safety, taking "all series standard" as a keyword, starting from the entry model Corolla, of course, including the new Asian Dragon.
Just like the Asian Dragon series is equipped with TSS three years ago, the new Asian Dragon is equipped with the TSS 2.5 version as standard, and the 2.5 version is in TSS, TSS2. After another upgrade: for example, the old Asian Dragon pre-collision safety system under TSS can only identify the vehicle in front, the TSS2.'s pre-collision safety system can identify the vehicle and pedestrians in front, and the new Asian Dragon pre-collision safety system under TSS2.5 can not only identify vehicles and pedestrians, but also recognize bicycles during the day, and can also identify vehicles and pedestrians at night to avoid collision accidents in driving vehicles. Secondly, there are also new intersection active braking stops, ESA emergency steering assistance, etc. The old Asian Dragon ACC adaptive cruise required a speed of 50km/h to use, but now it can be used from 0-180km/h, and a cornering deceleration function has been added in the ACC use state. LDA Vehicle Departure Warning, which previously only monitored the exit route, can now also monitor road edges and add a central lane keeping function.
We can see that the upgraded TSS2.5 is an evolution of the original function, and the adaptation of the use scenario is more detailed. Admittedly, as countless technology companies flock to the automotive industry today, "technology" is no longer the most important weight to shake off competitors. However, under the framework of technology, how to make it more suitable for needs, in line with the actual scene, and improve the ease of use and practicality in the real car scene is also a test for car companies. Or that sentence: people-oriented, easy to say and difficult to do.
In addition to safety, we look at other changes, and I have to say that they are all the same. For example, the previous keyless entry can only enter from the main driver, and now the main co-driver can be; before the car only had a USB interface, can not support the use of the new Apple mobile phone users' plug, now the new Asian Dragon is equipped with a Type-C interface, and in addition to the 2.5L, 2.0L entry version have wireless charging functions. The car machine system has become the Baidu system of the same model as Crown Land, and the voice control function is faster. In addition to the 2.5L, 2.0L entry-level version, the central control screen of other models has all changed from 9 inches to 10.1 inches, and the physical buttons have been eliminated, and the full LCD dashboard of some high-end models has also been upgraded from 7 inches to 12.3 inches, which caters to the sense of technology pursued by young people.
In addition, in terms of appearance, the forward grille, headlights, wheel hubs have been slightly changed, and the body length has also increased from the previous 4975mm to 4990mm, although these changes, the average consumer may be difficult to pay attention to, but it can be seen that the Asian Dragon is still through these changes to further strengthen its temperament as a B+ class flagship sedan.
Double top matching officer down 10,000
High oil prices or the best choice
When I was in the showroom of the dealership, a consumer happened to come to see the car, and when he saw the new Asian Dragon, the first question was: How much fuel is consumed? Yes, in the context of the recent continuous rise in oil prices, the fuel economy of the car has become the primary concern of everyone. The official 100-kilometer comprehensive fuel consumption of The Asian Dragon Dual Engine is only 4.3L, and the dual engine brings in addition to low fuel consumption, as well as the quietness and smoothness of driving, which makes the sales proportion of the double engine model have reached more than 40% of the entire Asian Dragon series.
The new Asia Dragon 2.5L dual engine top match dropped from 289,800 to 279,800, although the contribution of the top model to sales will not be too large, but at least it is a means to enhance the overall attention of the double engine. In addition to this top-end model, the guidance price of the remaining models is almost the same as that of the old Asian Dragon, that is to say, the new Asian Dragon has not increased the purchase cost in the case of intelligence, safety and configuration upgrades.
Driving value view
This year is the most tested year for FAW Toyota in recent years, with the first annual sales impacting millions of vehicles, and it is still under the background of the poor external economic environment, the impact of the epidemic, and the further impact of new forces on the traditional automobile market.
From the listing of the new Asian Dragon, we can also see that Toyota's pace of responding to changes in the domestic market is becoming faster and more active. As an important model that has always accounted for more than 15% of FAW Toyota's sales, the Asian Dragon has once again aroused market attention through the listing of this new model, stabilizing the good market performance of monthly sales of more than 10,000 vehicles, which will be particularly important for the achievement of FAW Toyota's million vehicle target.
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