Cut into the MPV market and retain the long-axle model
Author | Maher
Edit | Ge Bangning
Produced by | Bangning Studio (gbngzs)
Although the Beijing Auto Show did not arrive as scheduled, the competition under the field has already surged darkly.
On April 19, 2022, the Mercedes-EQ brand EQS pure electric SUV was launched in the world. This is the brand's third SUV model based on the forward development of the EVA pure electric platform after EQS and EQE. EQS is available in 5- and 7-seater options, with WLTP operating capacity up to 660 km.
On the same day, the Audi urbansphere concept car made its world debut. As Audi's largest model to date, it is 5.51 meters long, 2.01 meters wide, 1.78 meters high and has a wheelbase of 3.4 meters. "The Audi urbansphere is more than just a concept car, it explains the core of Audi China's 2030 strategy in China." Wen Zeyue, president of Audi China, said at the press conference.
The BMW Group followed. On April 20, the BMW Group launched the new BMW 7 Series and BMW X7 worldwide. As the seventh generation of the BMW 7 Series, it is innovative in terms of design language, luxury and digitalization. Because of this, once it was unveiled, it became the focus of heated discussion.
As the world's largest new energy vehicle and luxury car market, China has long become the strategic focus of luxury brands, and the voice of Chinese consumers has become particularly important in the wave of electrification. In the new cars originally prepared for the Beijing Auto Show, Audi and BMW have clearly emphasized the impact of the Chinese market on them.
▍Audi: Expanding its product line for the Chinese market
▲ On April 19, the Audi urbanosphere concept car made its world premiere
As the third work of the Audi Sphere series of concept cars, the Audi urbansphere concept car, together with the electric roadster skysphere and the large four-seater luxury car Grandsphere, demonstrates Audi's understanding of the future of electric luxury.
In the segment of ultra-luxury MPV, Toyota has long been at the forefront. Although the market size is relatively small, the rich profit margin of the gap market is enough to attract more manufacturers to enter the market for a piece of the pie. The release of the Audi urbansphere concept car shows that Audi has set its sights on this cake, and the voice of Chinese consumers will increasingly affect its future product planning.
▲Audi urban scope concept car interior space layout
Urbansphere is the first concept model to have the interior design independently designed by Audi China's design team. Audi China R&D Center is currently Audi's largest R&D entity with end-to-end development capabilities outside of its headquarters in Germany. New trends in the Chinese market are having more impact on Audi's product development. In addition, Audi invited Chinese consumers to participate in the design process and make suggestions for the concept car.
Audi summarized the future high-end travel needs of Chinese customers as follows: the so-called high-end travel does not mean more seats, more storage space, more storage functions, but spacious space and high-quality riding experience. Based on this philosophy, the urbansphere concept car became Audi's largest model to date.
▲ Audi urbane concept car interior
In terms of interior layout, in order to improve the spatial performance, the urbansphere concept car only retains two rows of 4 independent seats, which is the same as the Lexus LM four-seater version sold at a higher price in the Chinese market. In keeping with the principle of minimalist design, the circular dashboard and the black screen of the virtual driving system are hidden before the driving function is turned on.
The interior design is inspired by traditional Chinese courtyard architecture, which is different from the previous Audi in terms of sense of space, shape and color material choice. In response to the needs of Chinese consumers for digitalization, this car emphasizes smart interconnection functions in terms of interior.
The design level of the urbansphere concept car fully draws on the opinions of Chinese customers. At the technical level, the PPE luxury electric platform that Audi is about to put into mass production in China is used.
The battery module capacity of the urbansphere concept car is 120 kWh, and the total output power of the front and rear motors is 295 kW and the torque is 690 Nm. The Audi quattro four-wheel drive system has been electrified, and the power output of each wheel is electronically adjusted. In energy-saving mode, the front axle motor can also be deactivated, reducing friction during coasting and reducing energy consumption, ensuring dynamic driving and energy economy.
Thanks to the 800-volt charging technology of the PPE platform, the charging power can reach 270 kilowatts when charging fast, and the cruising range can be increased by about 300 kilometers in ten minutes of charging. According to the WLTP standard, the urbansphere concept car is expected to have a range of up to 750 kilometers.
▲Audi electric vehicle platform family
As of now, Audi has 4 pure electric platforms. The first platform, the MLB evo transformed from a longitudinal fuel platform, represents the Audi e-tron, which belongs to the test of Audi's electrification.
The second platform, the J1 platform shared with Porsche, stands for the Audi e-tron GT. Another model of this platform is the Porsche Taycan, which features an 800V high-voltage system.
The third platform, the newly developed MEB platform, stands for the Audi Q4 e-tron, developed by the Volkswagen Group for small to medium-sized pure electric platforms of several of its brands.
The fourth platform, the upcoming PPE platform, is from the Sphere series, including the Audi urbansphere concept car. PPE is also developed by the Volkswagen Group and positioned as a medium- and large-sized luxury electric platform, which will be shared by multiple brands such as Audi, Porsche and Bentley.
At present, Audi's PPE platform electric vehicle plant in Changchun is under construction and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, with a planned annual production capacity of 150,000 units.
Overall, the direction of Audi electrification is to use the volkswagen group's rich platform resources to further expand the product range of electric vehicles. The model coverage segment will be more abundant, and may even open up the MPV market that fuel models are not involved in.
▲Volkswagen Group's roadmap for the development of electrification platforms is divided into three stages
According to the Volkswagen Group's plan, in order to achieve full electrification, the electrification of the existing fuel platform is the first step. This phase is now complete.
The second step in electrification is that in small and medium-sized vehicles, the pure electric MEB platform will replace the fuel MQB platform. For large luxury cars and sports cars, the pure electric PPE platform will implement the functions of the fuel platform MLB and MSB.
In the longer term, the Volkswagen Group will take the third step toward electrification – the introduction of the SSP, a basic electric platform for all sizes and all positioning. At that time, all Volkswagen Group brand models will be from the SSP platform.
It can be seen from the above planning that the electrification route of the Volkswagen Group is relatively clear among traditional automobile companies, and the investment in electrification is huge. As a high-end brand of the Volkswagen Group, Audi is a pioneer in technological development, and Audi's electric models are a showcase of the core achievements of volkswagen group electrification.
At present, Audi is steadily advancing according to the planned time. A wide range of models from the same platform indicates the future product layout.
▍ BMW: The front face of the new 7 series has caused controversy
▲ On April 20, bmw 7 series and i7 made their world premiere
The day after Audi unveiled its new concept car, the BMW Group held the world premiere of the new generation of the 7 Series and the i7, a pure electric model on the same platform. The same model of oil and electricity dual vehicles released at the same time, such a scene is rare.
China has become the world's most important market for the BMW 7 Series, with nearly half of its sales coming from China. According to the BMW Group, the new 7 Series was developed in Germany, and the design inspiration came from China, which is the specific practice of the BMW Group's "home in China".
▲Pure electric version bmw i7 xDrive60
The new 7 Series gives the first impression of being bigger. Its length, width and height are 5391 mm, 1950 mm, 1548 mm, the wheelbase reaches 3215 mm, and the parameters are greater than the current 7 series. Due to the need for rear space in the Chinese market, BMW only sells the Long Wheelbase 7 Series in China. The new 7 Series no longer distinguishes between standard wheelbase and long wheelbase, and the body size is uniform, which is equivalent to retaining only long wheelbase models.
The front face of the new 7 Series has caused a lot of controversy, and as chris Bangle designed in 2001, the fourth generation of the 7 Series, BMW has always dared to try the most subversive design language on the flagship model. The upper and lower split headlights have become a new design element of BMW's large luxury car.
In addition to the headlights, the most eye-catching thing about the front of the car is the iconic double kidney grille. The grille of the new 7 Series is further enlarged, surrounded by LED halo decorations. On the BMW i7, the same design reappeared, only to be fully enclosed. Nowadays, the grille has become more and more unnamed, and the decorative role has long been greater than the functionality of the original design.
An important feature of the new design language is that the front of the car appears taller and more three-dimensional. Perhaps BMW believes that Chinese consumers will embrace this eye-catching design style.
▲ Fuel version BMW 760Li xDrive
The heaviness of the body side styling once again exposes the electric nature of the BMW 7 Series. The fuel version, electric version and plug-in hybrid version of the 7 Series were developed at the same time and use the same exterior styling, which requires the body structure to meet the space requirements of all powertrains.
Since the electric version needs to be equipped with a power battery at the bottom of the body, the body will inevitably be raised, so the thicker side is also one of the characteristics of all electric vehicles today.
▲The new BMW 7 Series interior
In terms of interior, it doesn't seem to have caused much controversy. The combination of multiple materials, geometry and light and shadow effects maintains the high quality of BMW's flagship sedan.
In front of the driver is a long strip of screen that is more common at present. In the traditional center console area, the new 7 Series integrates ambient mood lights, function buttons and hidden air conditioner air outlets.
Compared with the simplicity of the front row, the back row of the new 7 Series is more varied and more luxurious, after all, most of the Chinese customers of the 7 Series are backseat buyers. The rear seat backrest can be lowered by up to 42.5 degrees and is equipped with leg rests.
In terms of entertainment systems, the new 7 Series has a 31-inch, 8K resolution ultra-wide display in the middle of the roof, which can be folded and retracted. In order to meet the needs of Chinese consumers, the BMW Group introduced iQiyi and Huawei application markets.
In addition, rear passengers can also switch theater mode with one button through the touch screen on the door panel. Interior mood lighting and sun blinds will be automatically adjusted, complemented by a Bowers & Wilkins sound system, turning the rear row into a mobile private cinema.
In the form of door openings and closings, BMW also took a lot of thought. Owners can control the automatic door through buttons, voice, mobile phone, central control screen and key.
The new 7 Series is available in all-electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel versions. The launch of the BMW i7 represents the BMW Group's first entry into the purely electric large luxury car market.
▲The electric version of the i7 is equipped with the fifth-generation BMW eDrive electric drive system
The BMW i7 is equipped with the fifth-generation BMW eDrive system, which uses BMW's self-developed excitation motor and can achieve a cruising range of 625 km under WLTP conditions. As for the fuel version, it is equipped with a 48V light mix system to optimize economy and power performance.
In terms of smart driving, the new 7 Series offers L2-level driver assistance. Technically, it also has L3 level automatic driving capabilities.
▲BMW's electrification development route and product planning
As a pioneer in electrification in traditional car companies, the BMW Group launched the revolutionary BMW i3 and BMW i8 electric vehicles as early as 2013, and this attempt was defined as the first stage of the BMW Group's electrification. However, due to multiple reasons such as cost and sales, the BMW Group has not continued to develop this electric route.
Until 2019, the BMW Group once again launched pure electric products. Although the BMW iX3 also belongs to the BMW i brand, it is not technically related to the previous BMW i3 and BMW i8, but uses the same CLAR platform as the fuel version of BMW X3.
The later release of BMW i4, BMW iX, this time the release of BMW i7 is also based on this platform. It can be seen from this that the second stage of the electrification of the BMW Group has not departed from the basis of the CLAR platform of fuel vehicles, and the goal of the BMW Group at this stage is to realize the electrification of all-class models.
As for the third phase, the BMW Group plans to launch a new electric platform called Neue Klasse in 2025, Chinese called "New Class".
The BMW Group defines it as: designed for pure electric power to achieve the performance of benchmark fuel vehicles; to increase the proportion of recycled materials used, reduce resource consumption; a new digital experience, and a higher degree of personalization freedom.
At present, the BMW Group has not given relevant information about the corresponding models. The Neue Klasse could become a universal platform for the full range of BMW Group models in the future.
Compared with the other two in the BBA, BMW, which has not yet launched an independent pure electric platform, is not particularly prominent in this round of electrification process. After all, the bmw group's task at this stage is to gradually achieve full-level electric vehicle model coverage through the promotion of the oil/electricity dual model strategy, and this strategy will continue until at least 2025.
However, the BMW Group's investment in electric drive systems and power batteries has been really effective. Moreover, by using the existing platform and production system, the cost of bicycles is lower, and the impact on the operation of the BMW Group is relatively small. Bmw Group's main electric model BMW iX3 in the Chinese market also sold well. New fuel models, such as the BMW 7 Series, have taken into account more electric model features.
For luxury brands that put the Chinese market at an unprecedented strategic level, building products for China is not an eye-catching statement at the conference, but a practical strategy. This can be seen from Audi's preparation of creating an MPV, and BMW only keeps a long-axle model.
The Chinese market is not just big enough. A product suitable for the Chinese market has also been successful in more and more overseas markets. To some extent, Chinese consumers are the most discerning group, and they are also the most receptive to new technologies. Only by combining market demand with technological innovation can product strength be formed. No matter how grand the development strategy, it must ultimately be reflected in the product and subject to consumer inspection.