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In the past few days, luxury brands have competed for glory and released the new cars originally planned to be released at the Beijing Auto Show through online forms, and the specific content can be read in the article "Postponed beijing auto show postponed, but the electrification counterattack of luxury brands has not pressed the pause button" released yesterday.
Today, we would like to focus on the strategic and tactical differences between the two head luxury brands of Mercedes-Benz and BMW in the context of the same comprehensive electrification transformation. These two German compatriots, in the past hundred years, have been in love with each other, each leading the way for three or five years, and only then have they achieved today's achievements.
In the process of transitioning to electrification, both brands are also very determined. Although back in 2011, BMW launched the i brand and in 2013 released the i3 and i8.
But both companies' current electrification strategies began almost entirely in 2016. That year, Mercedes-Benz released the "Looking at the Future" (CASE) strategy and launched a new electric vehicle brand EQ; it was also in that year that BMW proposed a "new first strategy" to promote the overall transformation of the company with "ACES".
It is not difficult to see that although Mercedes-Benz's "CASE" and BMW's "ACES" are different in alphabetical order, the four letters are exactly the same, that is, at that time, both brands will focus on autonomous driving, intelligent interconnection and electrification.
2019 is also an important time node. This year, BMW stepped into the second development stage of the "new first strategy" and unveiled the BMWVISION iNEXT concept car; Mercedes-Benz also proposed the "Vision 2039" in this year, that is, to achieve "carbon neutrality" in the lineup of new passenger cars within 20 years.
In the past 2021, it can be said that it is the year when the real two brands really "take off". This year, Mercedes-Benz defined it as the "year of electric power", launched new models such as EQA, EQB and even EQS, and upgraded the electrification strategy again, from "electric first" to "full electric", including G-class, AMG full series and even Maybach, etc., the future will launch pure electric version.
BMW is no exception. Last year, the launch of the BMW iX and BMW i4 was not only a representative of the second phase of BMW's electrification transformation, but also let the outside world see BMW's clearer path in electrification. On the evening of April 20, BMW debuted or will be listed before the end of the year through the online + offline model, once again stunning four.
The above is the similarity between Mercedes-Benz and BMW in the electrification strategy, but at the same time, at the tactical and product landing level, the two head luxury brands have embarked on the complete opposite path.
BMW to the left: do luxury electric
Yesterday morning, at the St. Regis Hotel in Beijing, I met the new BMW 7 Series and i7, which had just debuted the night before. Despite the visual impact at the launch, in fact, the shock and impact is truly unparalleled only when the car is in front of you.
Regarding the product power of the new 7 series, we will write about it in other pages. The point of this article is that from the outside, there is almost no difference between the BMW i7 and the new 7 series of the fuel version, except that an "i" word is added to the front grille, blue trim is added to the front bumper and side skirt (it is said that it may be an option), and the name difference on the rear tail markings.
However, in terms of interior, the i7 is more luxurious than the new 7 Series. For example, on the seat, the new 7 series adopts a leather design, and the BMW i7 for the first time adopts the design of the combination of Merino leather and natural cashmere, which not only provides excellent support and wrapping in the riding experience, but also is softer and more delicate, and effectively avoids the shortcomings of the leather "cold in winter and hot in summer".
BMW staff said that the reason why there is no deliberate distinction is to pass on the concept of "luxurious electric" that BMW adheres to. That is to say, although the i7 is an electric car, you can think of it as one of the new 7 series products, in addition to fuel version, plug-in hybrid version. That is to say, first of all it is the new 7 Series, and secondly it is an electric car.
As CHIPze, Chairman of the BMW Group, puts it: "The new BMW 7 Series is our pinnacle, combining trendsetting subversive design with innovative technology. The innovative BMW i7 is the strongest of the 7 Series, the latest example of BMW's successful development and determined electrification transformation. ”
This is in line with BMW's previous electric vehicle products.
For example, the new BMW i4, which was officially launched at the beginning of this year, also perfectly inherited the BMW 4 Series in appearance, becoming the first medium-sized pure electric coupe model in the luxury brand; plus the iX3 and the new i3 that have been listed, can also be seen as a power option provided in its product series, but all electric vehicles are configured higher and the price is higher in its product series.
It is reported that it is expected that in 2022, BMW's mass production and trial production of pure electric vehicle models will reach 15 models, covering about 90% of the luxury car segment. By the end of 2025, BMW expects to deliver a total of 2 million pure electric vehicles worldwide, with one pure electric model in every four new cars sold in China.
Some people may say that BMW's oil and electricity platform is the main reason for its design, and some people even call it "oil to electricity". But frankly, whether an electric vehicle is good or not, whether it is a separate pure electric platform is not the key, the key is whether you can provide greater space advantages, better three-electric efficiency, and a better intelligent experience.
Judging from the data currently released by BMW i7, this car is equipped with BMW's fifth-generation electric drive system, and also adopts advanced computing platforms and intelligent equipment, which technically has the possibility of L3 level automatic driving. In addition, the smart cockpit is also its biggest highlight, whether it is the 31-inch foldable, touchable 8K large screen in the rear row, or the 5.5-inch touch screen on the rear door handle, as well as the surround interactive light strip and the crystal cutting that can be seen everywhere in the whole car, its unprecedented innovation and artistic design, it can be said that it is thrown away from all models on the market at present.
The price of the i7 is not yet known, but as the top flagship electric sedan, I believe it is enough to break the wrist with the Mercedes-Benz EQS, and the two models also perfectly interpret their respective electrification paths.
Of course, the reason why BMW adopts an integrated platform that is oilable and electric is definitely to reduce development costs and improve economy. After all, as a century-old company, profitability has always been a very important indicator for BMW. At the same time, BMW is also developing a new platform for the "NEUE KLASSE", and the "new generation" model equipped with the new platform may start trial production in 2024 and be introduced to the market in 2025.
Although it is still impossible to know the design concept of BMW's "new generation" electric model, I believe that its original intention of making "luxurious electric" will not change. Behind this original intention, "no compromise" should be the best keyword.
Mercedes to the right: do electric luxury
Unlike BMW, Mercedes-Benz, which has declared "full electric", has gone more resolute and determined in terms of products.
Its most distinctive feature is that, unlike BMW's integrated platform of oil-electric sharing, Mercedes-Benz has not only developed the EAV pure electric platform research and development, but also the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV just released a few days ago is the third model launched based on the platform, the first two are the new EQS and the new EQE. Among them, the new EQS was released at this time last year, and the new EQE is expected to be produced within the year.
Unlike the BMW i7, the Mercedes-Benz EQS, developed based on the EAV pure electric platform, adopts a short front suspension and short rear suspension design, which is worlds apart from the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in appearance, more rounded and more flat. This design also allows it to have an ultra-low wind resistance coefficient of 0.20 and helps to achieve a pure electric endurance of up to 849km.
Of course, the appearance has always been "benevolent, wise people see wisdom", for the design of Mercedes-Benz EQS, people who like it are called "young, scientific and technological fans", and people who don't like it think that they have lost the luxurious and domineering soul of Mercedes-Benz. The same goes for the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.
Compared to the controversial exterior, the Mercedes-Benz EQS and EQS SUVs have applied the sense of luxury they do best to the extreme in the interior.
For example, the front row uses an integrated screen with a width of 1.41 meters Hyperscreen, the built-in MBUX car machine system, the hardware specifications are also very high, using Xavier chips from Nvidia Nvida, the system fluency is also very good, and integrated into local applications such as Tencent Video, Bilibili and so on. There is also an 11.6-inch screen in front of the rear seats for rear passenger audio and video entertainment.
This is the difference between Mercedes-Benz and BMW on the path of electrification - unlike BMW's determination to do "luxury electric", Mercedes-Benz wants to do "electric luxury". After all, whether it is "luxury electric" or "electric luxury", both brands have achieved the ultimate, and they also have loyal fans of their own brands and paths.
However, what is interesting is that unlike the "sitting and driving BMW" that we often hear in the era of fuel vehicles, in the era of electric vehicles, Mercedes-Benz is constantly strengthening the "fun of driving", while BMW is strengthening the "comfort of sitting". And only from the appearance, the original Mercedes-Benz, which was originally called "Big Run", is running wild on the road of rejuvenation, while the sporty BMW is becoming more and more domineering, and the new 7 Series and i7 also have the look and title of "Little Rolls-Royce".
Perhaps that's why these two brands have been able to continue to lead the industry for the past 100 years. Dare to say "goodbye" to the glorious past, not be bound by the glory of the past, and be good at discovering their own shortcomings and learning the advantages of their opponents, in this sense, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have indeed been "loving and killing each other and achieving each other".
It is reported that in addition to the current EAV pure electric platform, Mercedes-Benz will also release three pure electric model architecture platforms in 2025, namely the MB.EA platform for medium and large passenger cars, the AMG.EA platform for high-performance electric vehicles, and the VAN.EA platform for pure electric MPV and light commercial vehicles. Moreover, the EVA platform will continue to be updated and upgraded based on the latest technology, and together with new platforms such as MB.EA and AMG.EA, it will continue to bring top-level experiences to customers.
Therefore, we can look forward to what kind of wonderful "new generation" electric models of Mercedes-Benz and BMW will bloom when 2025 comes.
epilogue
Just as the so-called "text has no fixed law, water is impermanent", on the new track of electrification, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, the two centuries-old enterprises with the strongest research and development strength, have caught up with each other in their own ways and running postures. And, if Tesla has a first-mover advantage in terms of intelligence, then, in the field of luxury, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have once again left it far behind.
It should be believed that the car is a car after all, and the advantages of the century-old luxury brand in the brand, technology and supply chain cannot be surpassed in the short term. Of course, the premise is that these brands must be humble enough, fear the market enough, and be able to listen to the voices of users, including China. Judging from the BMW i7 and Mercedes-Benz EQS products, they did it.
From the moment "Chinese inspiration, German craftsmanship" became the key word for the new BMW 7 Series and i7, we knew that a new era had begun.