The new energy vehicle market is now surging, and major brands have launched new models and new technologies, and the competition is fierce. In this environment, the launch of NIO's sub-brand Alps has attracted wide attention in the industry. However, Alps' decision to adopt a purely visual approach to intelligent driving and cut the lidar has raised questions about whether it is overconfident.
As a sub-brand of NIO, Alps is positioned lower than NIO and aims to attract more consumers by reducing costs to lower the entry price. There is nothing wrong with this strategy in itself, but cutting lidar and adopting a purely visual intelligent driving solution undoubtedly increases the technical risk.
The pure vision solution is similar to the solutions of Tesla, Jiyue 01 and other brands, although the technology has a certain degree of advancement, but the safety factor is not as good as the combination of lidar + vision solution. With such a fierce competition in the new energy vehicle market, Alps dared to adopt a purely visual solution, which is undoubtedly a bold attempt in technology.
However, is there a risk of overconfidence behind this bold attempt? After all, Alps is a sub-brand of NIO, which has long been known for its high-end and quality. Any technical issues with Alps could have an impact on NIO's brand image.
On the other hand, NIO said that the Alps brand's intelligent cockpit and intelligent driving businesses are basically integrated with the NIO brand, and some of the businesses are operated independently by Alps. This integration strategy helps improve efficiency and reduce costs, but it also means that Alps' technology research and development, manufacturing, and other aspects need to be consistent with the NIO brand. The challenge was to maintain consistency while still differentiating Alps itself.
In addition, although NIO said that Alpine models will be equipped with 800V supercharging, it will still take time to verify whether it can truly meet the charging needs of consumers. After all, the perfection of charging facilities directly affects the consumer experience.
As the founder of NIO, Li Bin has his own views on Alps' positioning and strategy. He once said: "Alps is our 'flipping table' product, let's roll it up first, and then 'flip the table'." This argument has undoubtedly brought more attention and expectation to the Alps. After all, the competition in the new energy vehicle market is so fierce that any "flipping the table" needs to have sufficient strength and preparation.
Li Bin's argument has also triggered people's thinking about the NIO brand. NIO has always been known for its high-end and quality, but in the face of such fierce competition in the new energy vehicle market, can this positioning be maintained? If there is any problem with Alps, will it affect the brand image of NIO? These are all questions worth paying attention to.
NIO's Alpine sub-brand undoubtedly has bold attempts and pursuits in technology, but in such a fierce market competition, this bold attempt is also accompanied by certain risks. It is hoped that NIO will be cautious about the launch of Alps and not be overconfident and ignore the real needs of consumers and market changes. At the same time, it is also hoped that Li Bin's "flipping the table" argument is not just a slogan, but must be supported by substantive products and strategies.