Will electrification become a cardiotonic agent for China's MPV market? | front-line car news

When it comes to the performance of the MPV market in recent years, to paraphrase the phrase we often use to describe the Chinese men's football team, it may be more vivid: I thought that the sales of nearly 2.5 million units in 2016 would be the beginning of the MPV market' popularity, but I did not expect that the moment was the peak. By 2021, sales in this segment are even less than half of what they were in 2016.

Is the market not needing MPV, or does the market need mid-to-high-end MPV?

Although the MPV market in 2016 is regarded as an extremely hot year, a closer look at the data will show signs of a decline. Among the top 10 models sold that year, only one Buick L8 model sold for more than 150,000 yuan, and most of the remaining models were priced below 100,000 yuan, even including the price range of about 50,000 yuan. In addition to the price factor, we can see that most models have a strong tool attribute label, and the ratio of household to commercial is not ideal.

By 2021, the MPV market is performing very differently than it was five years ago. Although the annual sales volume is almost waist-cutting compared with 2015, although the first place is still Wuling Hongguang, but as the association said: "The rapid growth of high-end/large MPV sales has led to the benign development of MPV, such as the Buick GL8 in the United States, the Alexandre and Odyssey in Japan, the Mercedes-Benz V-class and Weito of the German system, the Trumpchi M8/M6 of the independent brand, Ruifeng, Chase G50/G10, etc., and the year-on-year growth rate is significantly higher than the average growth rate of the MPV industry (19.4%). Compared with cars and SUVs, the MPV market attracts and gathers high-end users to become their masters. ”

According to the data of the Association of Passenger Transporters, we can see that among the 31 provinces and cities in the country, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu account for more than 50% of the MPV sales of high-end products, and the proportion of high-end products in Beijing and Shanghai is even more than 70%, while the proportion of Henan, Shandong, Liaoning, Hubei and other provinces is between 40% and 50%, which can be echoed with the per capita disposable income of urban residents in these areas.

If the demographic structure is taken into account, with the gradual increase of the national policy of multiple tires, the number of two-child or even three-child families has gradually increased compared with the past, and most of these cities have begun to restrict the purchase of motor vehicles, and it is the norm for a family to have only one car, so MPV models with many seats and large spaces have been paid more and more attention by these families. According to the data of the National Bureau of Statistics, the average age of Chinese society in 2020 is 38.8 years old, and it is predicted that the average age of the main group of car buyers in the five years after 2021 will reach 40 years old, and even there will be 4-2-1 demand for family structure cars, and the growth of the household MPV market is also reasonable.

From the perspective of urban economic structure, the first-tier and super-first-tier cities led by Beijing have gradually divested low-end industries this year, and it is not surprising that the sales of low-cost MPV models used as production tools by these industry practitioners in the past have gradually decreased in the corresponding cities.

Will pure electric MPV become a lifesaver for the MPV market?

It is based on such market demand that the mid-to-high-end MPV market has gradually become hotter in recent years, but what follows is the demand of high-end business people for luxury technology and home users for comfortable space, as well as the low-carbon travel problem that both types of users will pay attention to. Driven by China's new energy automobile industry, pure electric MPV seems to have become a new direction. Iconick, who has only launched a concept car so far, once showed off his luxury electric MPV, but disappeared in the following years. SAIC Maxus' pure electric MPV has been mass-produced and brought to market, and the new MIFA 9 is aimed at the Market for the Buick GL8, with the guidance price range almost completely coinciding. Foreign brands have not slowed down, Volkswagen's ID.BUZZ based on the MEB platform has just been released in March, and Mercedes-Benz's EQV based on the current B-class research and development has also been listed. Dreamer, who lantu once appeared last year, officially opened the reservation tonight, and the pre-sale price of the seven-seat version is 380,000 yuan to 480,000 yuan, and the pre-price of the four-seat customized version is 600,000 yuan, just in time to catch up with this wave of enthusiasm.

Some people think that pure electric MPV will become the hope of pulling the MPV market in the next few years, is this really the case?

The basic requirements of users for an MPV are nothing more than space, comfort, luxury, technology and control are all pluses. Let's take the Lantu Dreamer with the "electric luxury flagship SUV" as an example to see if this subdivision can meet the needs of users.

From the perspective of space, the length, width and height of the Lantu Dreamer is 5315 * 1985 * 1820mm, in the current mainstream MPV products in the market, only the long wheelbase version of the Mercedes-Benz V-class can be slightly better. However, considering that as a pure electric model developed in a positive direction, the Dreamer will be more comfortable in designing the interior space because it does not have engines and other components. The two rows of extra-long slides create a mobile living room space, and the trunk that can still accommodate four 24-inch suitcases in a seven-person state can only be described by the word satisfactory.

From the perspective of comfort and luxury, the front double wishbone independent suspension + height adjustable + soft and hard adjustable and rear five-link independent suspension + height adjustable + soft and hard adjustable structure can complete the endorsement for the comfort of the driving state, plus air suspension welcome, adaptive chassis lifting mode, air suspension with magic carpet function + CDC, zero gravity suitable seats (including ventilation, heating, massage, electric adjustment, leg rest, waist support), standard double-sided electric sliding door, Danner audio... They are all lagging behind the current MPV models at the same price.

From the perspective of bonus points, the Dreamer originates from the ESSA native intelligent electric architecture, with the blessing of Qualcomm 8155 flagship chip and Gigabit 5G vehicle network, it has 26 L2+ level intelligent driver assistance functions and ECALL collision intelligent call system, the same level of unique automatic parking system and remote parking system can eliminate the parking anxiety caused by users driving this MPV with a length of more than 5.3 meters, and the leading vehicle OTA upgrade function of the same level makes the vehicle commonly used and constantly new, and maintains the freshness of driving control for a long time.

As for the power and handling that has rarely been mentioned in the MPV model in the past, since this is a pure electric version of the model, a set of data that exceeds our expectations is given. The Dreamer is equipped with dual front and rear motors with a maximum power of 160kW/160kW, a peak torque of 620N.m, and an acceleration of 5.9 seconds per 100 kilometers. The Super Extender Edition is equipped with dual motors with a maximum power of 130kW/160kW, a peak torque of 610N.m, an acceleration of 6.9 seconds per 100 km/h, and a maximum speed of 200 km/h for both models. Drivers who used to drive nanny cars didn't have the urge to step on the accelerator at all, but this time with a dreamer, it may be different. Coupled with the unique battery layout of the pure electric model, the Dreamer's center of gravity is lower, although it cannot be regarded as a sports model, but it may make users feel very different in the MPV model.

Lu Fang, CEO of Lantu Automobile, said: "Lantu Dreamer will lead the MPV into a new era of electrification, intelligence and low-carbon travel, it is positioned in the electric luxury flagship MPV, in the work, it is a comfortable first-class cabin, exclusive parlor; in the family, it is a mobile, warm home." It is suitable for business and IKEA, but the city can be far away, and it is the mobile third space that Lantu Automobile pays tribute to this era. ”

As for whether Dreamers will become a shot in the heart of the mid-to-high-end MPV market, it is only necessary to wait until the delivery starts in July to look at the data.

(This article was first published on the Titanium Media APP, and the author |.) Cui Zhiqiang, Editor | Cui Zhiqiang)