Reporter 丨Dong Tianyi Duan Siyao
The postponement of the 2022 Beijing Auto Show has not disrupted the pace of product launches by car companies. As the focus of the industry, BBA (Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi) has recently held online conferences, the scale is still magnificent, but the content has undergone new changes.
On April 19, Audi and Mercedes-Benz chose to unveil new pure electric models on the same day. Among them, the urbansphere concept car released by Audi is the largest model of all Audi concept cars to date; Mercedes-Benz ushered in the global debut of the new EQS pure electric SUV, which is the third model developed by Mercedes-Benz based on the pure electric platform, and it is also the largest "block".
Image source: Courtesy of the enterprise
Subsequently, the innovative BMW i7 based on the new generation of CLAR architecture was also successfully unveiled, and the new car was equipped with the fifth generation of the BMW Group's electric drive system. In the eyes of CHIP, chairman of the BMW Group, the innovative BMW i7 "will push BMW electric models to new heights".
At this point, the highlights of the 2022 Beijing Auto Show were unveiled ahead of schedule, and BBA brought their flagship pure electric vehicle models, hoping to show their firm determination and technical strength to transform electrification. At the same time, the BBA invariably mentioned China at the press conference to express its full attention to the world's largest electric vehicle market.
The data shows that in 2021, China's new energy vehicle sales account for 53% of the global market share. Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi sold 846,200, 758,900 and 726,300 new vehicles in China in the same year, accounting for 34%, 33% and 43% of their global sales. For the BBA, the Chinese market is undoubtedly crucial, and it must not be left behind by the change of "wind direction".
However, the reality is that in march this year, the domestic high-end pure electric vehicle segment of more than 300,000 yuan, the sales of weilai car companies alone exceeded the sum of the three BBA companies. In this context, more and more new car manufacturers began to covet the market position of BBA, and the crisis was rapidly amplified in the era of electrification. And the BBA's counterattack has already begun.
1 BBA Collective "Show Muscle"
In fact, BBA's electrified product layout is not slow, but its previous products such as EQC, iX3 and e-tron have not been polished in place, so that there is still a gap with the products of new car manufacturers such as Tesla in terms of mileage, driving experience and intelligent level.
It is also in this context that BBA has not launched its own flagship pure electric model before. Today, in the face of the average monthly "triple digit" year-on-year growth rate of the domestic new energy market, as well as the repeated impact of new car manufacturers such as Tesla and "Wei Xiaoli", it has become the consensus of BBA to continue to speed up the pace of electrification.
However, as the market matures, it is clear that "transitional" products cannot meet the needs of consumers. It is based on this that whether it is the Audi urbansphere concept car, or the BMW i7, Mercedes-Benz EQS pure electric SUV, they all represent the highest technical level of BBA and its respective definition of luxury electric vehicles. After the new electric platform replaces the traditional "oil to electricity" platform, BBA's flagship models have also entered a stage of accumulation and thin hair.
First of all, in terms of performance, bmw i7 has a motor power of 400kW, an acceleration capacity of 4.7 seconds to break the hundred, and a pure electric mileage of 600km; the Mercedes-Benz EQS pure electric SUV has a cruising range of 660km under WLTP conditions, while the system of the dual-motor model has a maximum output power of 400kW and a peak torque of 858N·m; and the Audi urbansphere concept car based on the PPE platform has a total output power of 295kW for the two motors before and after it. The maximum torque is 690 N·m and the total cruising range can reach 750 km.
Image source: Courtesy of the enterprise
In addition, in terms of intelligent driving experience. BMW i7 is equipped with a "dual screen" design composed of 12.3-inch and 14.9-inch screens on the iX model, and is equipped with a "floating giant screen" on the top of the vehicle, using a 31-inch 8K resolution display, supporting 32:9 panoramic playback mode, and also built-in programs such as iQiyi and Huawei App Store; the Mercedes-Benz EQS pure electric SUV is the same as the Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan, and the familiar 1.41m MBUX super screen, rear dual entertainment screen, etc. are equipped.
It is worth mentioning that in addition to the independent display on the front seat back of each passenger, the Audi urbansphere concept also provides a large transparent OLED screen for roof lifting, while the rear two seats are also equipped with a center console that can be moved upwards, and equipped with drinking equipment and glasses. In addition, the new EQS pure electric SUV is the first Model of the Mercedes-Benz brand to be equipped with the Dolby Atmos system, which works with the Berlin Sound surround sound system to create a multidimensional sound range covering 360 degrees.
Image source: Courtesy of the enterprise
Previously, some insiders believed that in the era of fuel vehicles, BBA relied on luxurious materials, workmanship, powertrain and control advantages to obtain high premium capabilities, and consumers were willing to pay. Entering the era of electrification, consumer car purchase standards have changed to a level of endurance and intelligence, and the acceptance of new brands has increased, and the advantages of BBA may disappear.
However, there are also views that creating a sense of luxury atmosphere may be the "baggage" of BBA in the process of transformation, but it can also become its differentiating advantage in the pure electric era. At the same time, combined with its brand appeal in the domestic luxury car market, BBA's electrification products can also find an audience.
2 Collective defense shifts to internal competition?
The successive appearances of flagship electric models also mean that the BBA's counterattack horn has been blown, but "Teslas" may no longer be the number one target.
Previously, in the context of sales growth, companies such as Weilai pointed out their competitors to the BBA. Qin Lihong, co-founder of Weilai Automobile, once said: "As Weilai enters the high-end market, it will form an alternative to high-end mainstream luxury fuel vehicles, and we should be able to turn the BBA pattern into an NBA in the future." ”
Between the words, the smell of gunpowder is full, and Qin Lihong's confidence comes to market sales. According to the terminal retail data released by the China Automobile Center, in March this year, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi sold more than 300,000 high-end pure electric vehicles with sales of 3123, 1199 and 116 vehicles respectively. Weilai's sales in March were 9829 vehicles, which has exceeded the sum of the three BBA companies.
Image source: Per reporter Zhang Jian photographed (data map)
But for BBA, the brand status created by the "internal combustion engine era" means that the market range of its products is broad and flexible. For example, the BMW i7, audi Grandsphere concept car, and Mercedes-Benz's new EQS pure electric SUV are located in the "million-class pure electric luxury car market", which is still a blue ocean in the world.
And when flagship products successfully establish a value symbol in the market, a larger product offensive naturally follows the trend. Taking BMW as an example, at the end of 2022, the iX1 will become the pure electric model of the next generation of X1; by 2023, the BMW i5 will become the next generation of 5 series pure electric sedan, and the BMW Group will also launch the MINI Countryman EV and rolls-Royce Flash.
Mercedes-Benz has also transformed from "electric first" to "full electric", from 2022 to 2030, plans to invest more than 40 billion euros in pure electric models, all its brands will achieve electrification, and in the market where conditions permit, fully prepare for the realization of full pure electric power by 2030.
From the current point of view, the BBA is full of confidence. Pieter Nota, BMW Group's director of customer, brand and sales, said of Tesla's sales in the first quarter of this year: "Tesla has only had one unique selling point for a long time, and now it's over. ”
In addition, it can be seen from the electric models launched by the three companies that the Chinese market is becoming more and more important. For example, the Audi urbansphere concept car is the first concept model with independent interior design by audi china design team, and the Audi China R&D center is also the largest R&D entity with end-to-end development capabilities outside Audi's headquarters in Germany.
At the end of last year, the BMW Group upgraded its corporate strategy with the theme of "Home in China" and said it would give priority to the needs of the Chinese market in new product development. According to Gao Le, President and CEO of the BMW Group greater China, the new BMW 7 Series has fully considered the expectations of Chinese customers from the product concept stage.
Image source: Per reporter Zhang Jian photographed (data map)
While countering the opponent, the competition between the BBA is also very interesting. In 2022, BMW will double its deliveries of pure electric vehicles worldwide. According to this calculation, BMW's pure electric vehicle sales will reach 206,000 units in 2022. According to the latest plan, the BMW Group will mass-produce and trial-produce 15 pure electric vehicle models in 2022, including 5 new energy models including pure electric 3 series and pure electric 7 series in the Chinese market.
In 2022, Audi will also launch at least 6 electric models such as e-tron GT and Q4 e-tron in the Chinese market, while Mercedes-Benz will launch 8 new energy models, including the new EQE. For the BBA, 2022 is not only a year of collective defense, but also a year of internal competition.
Some people believe that looking at the entire automobile market, the BBA, which has occupied a dominant position in the field of fuel vehicles, can complete the "elephant turn" to seize the market share of pure electric luxury cars, which will be one of the important points of the global automobile market in the next five to ten years, and this highlight has now begun.