Our reporter Zhang Jiazhen reported from Wuhan
Following the rising sales of SAIC-GM-Wuling Hongguang MINIEV, the small pure electric vehicle market has ushered in a new "catfish".
On February 28, the reporter of "China Business News" inquired about Tianyan and found that Dongchuang Zilian (Wuhan) New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. changed its industrial and commercial information on February 27, and its name was officially changed to Dongfeng Motor Nano Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Dongfeng Nano").
According to relevant information, Dongfeng Nano was established on October 28, 2020, with a registered capital of 1.8 billion yuan, and is a Hong Kong listing platform of Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Dongfeng Group") Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd. (00489. HK) is a wholly-owned subsidiary.
(Dongfeng Nano production workshop. Interviewee/Figure)
It is understood that as a new technology-based electric vehicle company focusing on small pure electric vehicles under Dongfeng Group, Dongfeng Nano carries the important mission of "overwhelming" Dongfeng Group's independent passenger cars. The name change to Dongfeng Nano also means that the company's positioning of focusing on small pure electric tracks is more clear.
"This name change is both a key node and a new starting point for Dongfeng Nano. The name change is just the beginning, in addition to independent brand operation and subsequent brands and designs, Dongfeng Nano will also be ready to launch in the field of new platforms and new products. The relevant person in charge of Dongfeng Nano told reporters that Dongfeng Nano officially opened the road of independent brand operation as the secondary plate of Dongfeng Group.
The company has set a target of 100,000 units per year
As a young brand under Dongfeng Group, Dongfeng Nano focuses on the A-class pure electric vehicle market, is a business unit of Dongfeng Group focusing on small pure electric vehicles, and is also an important platform for promoting the implementation of new energy vehicle strategy and expanding the global small pure electric vehicle market.
According to reports, with Dongfeng Nano independent as the secondary plate of Dongfeng Group, Dongfeng Group's independent passenger car business has also completed the last piece of the puzzle of the development pattern of "standing up to the sky and overwhelming the sky".
The reporter learned in the interview that at the beginning of its establishment in 2020, Dongfeng Nano mainly produced Dongfeng EV new energy vehicles, and together with Dongfeng Fengshen, Lantu Automobile, Mengshi Technology and other brands, it formed the independent new energy passenger vehicle territory of Dongfeng Group. By the end of 2022, Dongfeng Nano had established about 360 sales stores nationwide.
The turning point occurred on July 17, 2022. On this day, Dongfeng Nano officially launched the boutique pure electric small SUV Nano BOX, and quickly became a dark horse in the industry, becoming an independent small pure electric SUV brand with "latecomers prevailing".
Nano BOX is positioned as a pure electric small SUV, and at the beginning of its launch, a total of 3 configuration models were launched: light enjoyment, light and pet powder version, with a price range of 65,700~71,700 yuan, and a CLTC (China Light Vehicle Driving Condition) cruising range of 331 kilometers.
After that, in November 2022, Nano BOX added 2022 new models of Nano BOX Plus Light Enjoy and Nano BOX Plus Light Ride, with the two new models priced at 67,200 yuan and 71,200 yuan respectively. The first model of 2023, the Nano BOX Breeze Edition, has also been launched recently.
With the delivery of new models, Nano BOX sales have also risen, with sales of 6,497 units in November 2022, an increase of 126% month-on-month; In December, sales were 5,380 units, ranking among the top 10 new energy SUV sales in that month.
Relevant statistics show that in 2022, with the help of Nano BOX sales, Dongfeng Nano sales of all models will exceed 35,000 units, reaching 35,002 units, entering the first camp of independent small pure electric SUVs in one fell swoop.
It is understood that in January 2023, Dongfeng Nano held a media conference in Beijing and announced three major development goals: the sales target is 100,000 units in 2023, and the sales volume will exceed 300,000 units in 2025, and the sales growth rate will increase by 20% in the next 10 years.
Dongfeng Nano has also become increasingly important in the autonomous passenger car segment of Dongfeng Group. Zhu Yanfeng, chairman and party secretary of Dongfeng Group, once said: "Dongfeng's new energy vehicle development should stand up to the sky and cover the earth. Mengshi and Lantu 'top the sky', Dongfeng Fengshen 'standing on the ground', and 'overwhelming' refers to Dongfeng nano. ”
Capital to help focus on the small pure electric market
Dongfeng Nano's achievements in the construction of new models and rapid breakthroughs in sales are inseparable from the strong support of Dongfeng Group.
Tianyan check information shows that since the end of 2022, Dongfeng Nano has undergone two capital increases, and the registered capital has increased significantly from the initial 10 million yuan to 1.8 billion yuan. Among them, on December 21, 2022, the registered capital of Oriental Nano increased from 10 million yuan to 890 million yuan, an increase of 8800%; On January 12, 2023, the registered capital of Dongfeng Nano increased again to 1.8 billion yuan, an increase of 102.25%.
"Sufficient capital support will drive Dongfeng nanotechnology innovation and enhance the competitiveness of rapid iteration." The relevant person in charge of Dongfeng Nano said.
In addition, in terms of deep cultivation of industrial layout, Dongfeng Nano will "speed up the horse" at the beginning of 2023. On February 2, Dongfeng Nano's new energy passenger vehicle project with a total investment of 5.31 billion yuan settled in Xiangyang City, Hubei Province, and will subsequently introduce its self-developed S3 platform full life cycle model; on February 13, Dongfeng Nano's new energy passenger vehicle project officially settled in Shiyan Economic Development Zone, Hubei Province.
This also means that in just over one month in 2023, Dongfeng Group has invested more than 7 billion yuan in the capital increase of Dongfeng Nano and the construction of Xiangyang new energy passenger vehicle production base.
In recent years, driven by both policy and market, new energy vehicles have stood on the cusp of the development of the automobile industry, and the market demand for small pure electric vehicles has become more vigorous.
The mainland's new energy vehicle industry has officially entered a new stage driven by the market. According to the statistics of the Passenger Association, in 2022, the cumulative sales of small pure electric vehicles in mainland China will be 1.094 million units, a year-on-year increase of 21.4%, accounting for 19.3% of the new energy vehicle market.
Ouyang Minggao, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and an expert in new energy power systems, said that new energy vehicles are entering a new stage of large-scale industrialization, and are expected to develop into a large industry of 10 trillion yuan in the next 10~15 years.
In the face of market opportunities, Dongfeng Nano will further clarify its corporate development strategy and enhance its development potential on the basis of realizing the transformation from a marketing company to a full-value chain company.
According to reports, in 2023, Dongfeng Nano will officially launch the S3 platform. The platform is a new self-developed new energy architecture platform of Dongfeng Group, focusing on the pure electric car market, with leading advantages such as high cost performance, high battery life flexibility and high electronic architecture expansion.
The relevant person in charge of Dongfeng Nano told reporters that on July 17, 2023, Dongfeng Nano will officially release the brand in the brand day event. At the same time, Dongfeng Nano will launch the first new model after the independent brand - S31 based on the S3 platform, positioning it as a pure electric car of "Baoma Light Pure Electric Girlfriend". In 2024, Dongfeng Nano will also launch the S32 model positioned as a "multi-functional fun crossover".
"New pure electric products based on the S3 platform will be launched one after another, and two market segment models are planned to be launched within two years. In the future, Dongfeng Nano will launch a new product every year to further meet the diversified travel needs of users. The above-mentioned person in charge of Dongfeng Nano said.
(Editor: Shi Yingjing, Proofreader: Zhang Guogang)