by | Production of electric park Sohu Auto· E
Author | Li Linze
Editor|Cai Xinyu
The new car born by Chinese automakers costs more than 1 million yuan, does it sound like a fantasy?
Premiumization has long been a major obstacle for Chinese brands, either because of the wrong time, or a matter of mentality or technical strength. In short, for a long time, there seems to be a gap between autonomous models and high-end products. A huge "natural divide". However, in the years since "cars are powered by engines", offense and defense have begun to change. Brands such as NIO, Lili, and Extreme Krypton have raised the price of their own models to 300,000-600,000 yuan, and foreign brands have gradually lost their mid-to-high-end market prices. Right.
However, from another point of view, the core of the success of domestic electric brands lies in the use of electrification technology, which will replace the experience of large-displacement engines. She is more extreme on the basis of the original and is more willing to accumulate experience. It's hard to call it a leader. Come and live a disruptive experience. On September 20, the first sedan was launched, and BYD's top brand was eagerly awaited. The price of the luxury version U8 directly exceeded one million yuan, reaching 1.098 million yuan. Subsequent versions of the price may be higher for off-road players. The basis for the birth of Yangwang is BYD's technology accumulation in the field of electrification over the years, rather than the accumulation of certain configurations.
China's auto industry needs high-end brands, and it needs new technologies to drive industrial change. The emergence and high popularity of Yangwang reflect the fact that in the era of electricity + intelligence, independent brands have begun to occupy the top of technology. On the other hand, BYD has established brand credibility, shifting from technical trust to product trust, brand trust, and cultural trust. This mental leap is much more important than the launch of the U8.
【・Inspiring hope for climbing peaks】
Extreme Technology needs top brands to wear.
At the Yangwang brand launch earlier this year, Wang Chuanfu said: "China's high-end brands are not just about sourcing materials and assembling materials. Yangwang will change the model of high-end cars around the world. In the future, the Sunshine brand will take the lead in using a number of top technologies of BYD Group. Based on extreme driving scenarios, it provides users with maximum safety, maximum performance and perfect experience. ”
Since 2020, BYD's sales have exploded. In 2021, sales for the full year were 740,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 73.34%. In 2022, the full range of new energy products will sell 1,868,500 units for the whole year, a year-on-year increase of 208.64%, ranking first in global new energy vehicle sales. The market share from January to August this year is close to 40%, and the total sales are expected to be close to 3 million units.
In the era of electrification, BYD has taken the initiative in electric drive technology. The emergence of technologies such as blade batteries, e-platform 3.0, and CTB is the main reason for the significant increase in BYD Group's sales. Opportunities for business competition are scarce. Transforming technology into cultural trust and subverting the brand pattern is a greater task for brands to look up to, and it is also the result of the call for independent brands in the new era. What is more noteworthy is that BYD is currently the brand with the deepest connection with Chinese traditional culture among domestic automobile companies. From the naming of the Qin, Tang and Song car series, to the search LOGO derived from the oracle bone "electricity" character and the previously released Yunnan system, BYD has integrated Chinese style into every aspect of the brand. and products. Since its launch, the U8/U9 has become the top model in the automotive industry. The price range of 1 million yuan may indeed be high, but it actually plays a role in enhancing national confidence.
Like the recently released Huawei Mate 60 series, this model that continues to develop and master a number of core technologies to create high-end products unique to China is a spiritual inspiration for Chinese consumers. The rise is like a fire, igniting the hope that more Chinese brands will reach new heights.
【Achieving real "forward" at the technical level】
In recent months, U8 has become popular on the Internet with just a few short videos. This is not only due to BYD's blessing, nor is it a gimmick with a price tag of millions of yuan, but because of its "far ahead" electric drive technology. For example, in the event of an emergency on the road, most vehicles can only detour or stop and wait. However, the U8 not only passes smoothly, but also completes the drive. It can drive smoothly for 30 minutes like an amphibious vehicle without leaking water inside.
If you encounter a flat tire when driving at high speed, the U8 will not lose support and can still drive stably at high speed; When driving on ice and snow, the left and right wheels of the vehicle suddenly hit the road surface with different adhesion, but the U8 can still drive smoothly without any problems. will go astray; In difficult terrain conditions, it is easy to climb to the top. The car also supports turn-in-place, dirt mode, crawl mode, and more. All this is supported by the core technology that BYD admires - "Yi Sifang".
In simple terms, each wheel on a vehicle is controlled by an independent motor. The maximum power of one engine reaches 220 kilowatts, and the maximum power of the whole vehicle is 880 kilowatts. Acceleration from zero to zero is as fast as 3.6 seconds. In addition to excellent performance, the coaxial wheels can output different torques even in the direction of rotation due to the separation of each wheel, achieving a "100km/h-0" braking distance and steering capacity of less than 40m. The minimum turning radius is less than 6 meters. , making large cars more agile, completely subverting the performance model of traditional four-wheel drive gasoline vehicles.
In terms of body control systems, the U8 achieved a major breakthrough. It is equipped with Yunnan-P intelligent hydraulic body control system, which brings intelligence to body control. Yunnan-P integrates three basic technologies: mechanical, hydraulic and electronic control. For the first time, the intelligent connection between key components in the lower part of the body and the whole vehicle has been realized. It also has solid chassis suspension and intelligent body control. In addition, the specific capacity of the discharge battery in the Yangwang architecture reaches 220% of the original value, which not only ensures the high performance of the vehicle, but also brings the maximum performance performance; The five-sense interactive intelligent cockpit allows people to interact with cars and cars. Interaction with the outside world is more intelligent and efficient, allowing users to obtain a perfect sensory experience; In terms of intelligent driving assistance solutions, Yangwang architecture is equipped with world-class hardware with 38 intelligent vehicle sensing components to provide hardware for future intelligent driving enhancement.
Looking at the U8, it is fully armed from the inside out, embodying BYD's years of electrification experience, which profoundly proves that Chinese auto brands already have super technology that leads the development of the industry. When it debuted at the Shanghai Auto Show, the booth was packed with spectators. Executives from Volkswagen, Porsche, Ferrari and Bentley rushed to the BYD exhibition area one by one to see the style of BYD U8 and feel the great changes and new developments in the Chinese market. Updates in the field of new energy vehicle technology.
【Break the top monopoly of overseas brands】
Previously, when people talked about high-end off-road SUVs, their first reaction might have been the Mercedes G-Class, Lexus LX570, Tule and others. The emergence of U8 is expected to break the original market competition pattern. Take the Mercedes-Benz G-Class as an example, this car has long represented an identity and an attitude to life. It is more like a "big toy" with great value. Under the influence of the "soft and hard power" of culture and technology, looking at the U8, it has the ability to surpass the former in value experience and gradually replace the "big G" as the helmsman of the new trend of the city.
In terms of technical strength, the performance of the four-engine U8 is much better than that of the 4.0T Mercedes-Benz G 500. In addition, it also has technical blessings such as turning around in place and "water drifting". Like Yunnan-P, its off-road performance is still relatively good. In terms of space comfort, the Mercedes G-Class is a non-portable hardcore off-road vehicle with not enough space in the rear. However, since the U8 is a product of the new energy platform, the rear space is not limited by the mechanical design of traditional fuel vehicles, and the seating space is not limited. More convenient.
In addition, the rear center armrest is equipped with a touch screen to control most comfort-related functions in the car, including air conditioning, seats, sunroof, etc., as well as rear seats, headrests, lumbar support, foot pedals, etc. and seating . . . The backrest angle supports electric adjustment, and also has ventilation, heating, and massage functions.
Wisdom is the advantage of Chinese brands. The U8 is equipped with a 23.6-inch full LCD front instrument panel and a 23.6-inch passenger LCD screen. The Deluxe Edition is also equipped with two 12.8-inch entertainment screens in the rear, which can be connected to five screens. The central control screen is equipped with Look Up Link intelligent vehicle system and uses Qualcomm SM8475 octa-core chip. In terms of voice interaction, it supports full-script continuous dialogue, independent four-tone interaction, and call visualization. Four-tone zone control means that the car can recognize commands from the front and rear four seats at the same time, and they can have independent interactive conversations without interfering with each other. Up to 90 seconds of continuous calls. In addition, the U8 is equipped with 38 high-precision sensors, including 3 lidars, 5mm radars, 12 cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors, enabling superior intelligent assisted driving. Electric suction doors, keyless entry, electric side steps, external discharge, door opening warning, rear collision warning, protection mode, etc. are also configurations not available in the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
The top products in the new energy era can meet the "needs and wishes". The U8's sight allows for elegant and calm off-roading. It not only has great off-road ability, but also has all the necessary functional configuration, and it is also perfectly compatible with the road conditions of city roads. This is something that the top off-road SUVs in the era of fuel vehicles cannot do. As Wang Chuanfu said: "Throughout the history of the development of the automobile industry, the birth of high-end automobile brands will inevitably be accompanied by the maturity of high-end core technologies, and super technologies create high-end brands." ”
Conclusion:
The launch of the 1.098 million yuan luxury version of the U8 has brought real spiritual power to the development of Chinese automobiles. This kind of technology, supported by high-end technology, climbs to the top of the product brand value chain step by step, and always creates Chinese brands. Marvel. Of course, the birth of new things is often accompanied by controversy. Compared to too many comparisons from the outside world, you really just need to look at the brand and go your own way. After all, according to the new rules of the game, we should no longer be considered traditional "luxury" and "high-end".