2023 dark horse model inventory: some rely on price reduction, and some rely on strength!

Not long ago, we took stock of several hot-selling SUVs in 2023. However, the explosive models that have emerged in the past year are far from being fully covered. Today we will continue this theme and see what other popular new cars are worth paying attention to on the market.

BYD Seagull

In 2023, the number of insured vehicles will be 221,000 units, and the monthly sales will be up to 37,000 units

The reason for the explosion: large space, long battery life, fast charging, good safety, and a wider range of use scenarios

Before 2023, the best-selling electric car was the 3-50,000 Wuling Hongguang MINI, but after the BYD Seagull was launched in April last year, the sales exceeded 30,000 units in just 4 months, and the Hongguang MINI quickly dropped from the previous monthly sales of 30,000+ to about 15,000 units, and the Seagull became the best-selling electric car within 100,000.

The guide price of the Seagull is 73,800-89,800, and the starting price is twice as expensive as the main sales version of Hongguang MINI, and the best-selling Seagull is actually 78,800 in the middle and 89,800 in the top, which is a lot more expensive than the Hongguang MINI, Changan Lumin, Geely Panda mini, etc., which were concentrated in about 50,000 before, but now the sales of a car in the Seagull can already be worth these three cars.

Compared with the 50,000-level electric micro-car, the Seagull is larger in size and space, and more importantly, it is free from the restrictions of short-distance transportation in the city. The maximum speed of 130km/h can already be used at high speed and elevated normally, and the cruising range also reaches 300-400 km. And the whole system is equipped with fast charging as standard, which can cope with the travel of surrounding cities, and the use scenarios are greatly expanded.

In addition, the Seagull is equipped with dual airbags as standard, 6 airbags as standard, and ESP body stability system as standard in all systems, which has substantially improved safety performance compared with 50,000-level micro cars.

Finally, in terms of practicality, although the length of the car is less than 3.8 meters, thanks to the advantages of the pure electric platform, the Seagull's ride and storage space are not small. There is little pressure to travel with full load in a short time, which is also one of the reasons why its sales volume can greatly exceed that of 50,000-level electric micro-cars.

Volkswagen ID.3

In 2023, 75,000 vehicles will be insured, and the best monthly sales will be 14,000 units

Selling points of popular models: significant price reduction, cost-effective advantages, solid battery life, and excellent handling

Volkswagen's ID.3 was launched as early as 2021, but it only began to explode in the second half of 2023, with an average monthly sales of only 1 or 2,000 units, and since October last year, its monthly sales have exceeded 10,000 for three consecutive months.

The direct reason why the ID.3 became a hit is very simple, that is, the price has been greatly reduced, and the guide price was 16 to 190,000 yuan when it was first listed, but since the middle of last year, the price of the whole series has been reduced by about 40,000 yuan. The 2024 model, which has just been launched, has a terminal price range of about 125,000 to 143,000 yuan, so the ID.3 has a direct competition with BYD's dolphin.

In terms of sales, the Dolphin has basically not been affected by the ID.3, and the average monthly sales are still stable at more than 20,000 units, but the sales of the ID.3 can rise at a similar price, indicating that it also has its own unique advantages.

For example, in terms of battery life, the ID.3 is equipped with a CLTC working condition of 450 km, which is slightly higher than the standard 420 km of the Dolphin, and the actual endurance performance of the Volkswagen ID series is relatively solid.

The Dolphin is a small car, while the ID.3 is actually a compact car, with a longer wheelbase and body than the Dolphin, although this does not represent the performance of the interior space, but from the outside, the ID.3 is half a class larger than the Dolphin.

Mechanically, despite the tuning differences, the ID.3 is a rear-wheel drive model with a multi-link independent rear suspension. The Dolphin's motor is on the front axle, and the rear suspension is a torsion beam non-independent structure, which gives the ID.3 a certain advantage.

In addition, in terms of functional configuration, the ID.3 comes standard with 6 airbags and Level 2 driving assistance, while the Dolphin will not be equipped with Level 2 driving assistance until the price of 130,000 yuan. At the same price point, the actual configuration performance of the two cars is similar. Therefore, putting aside the brand factor, the ID.3 after the price reduction does have the qualification to compete with the dolphin in terms of product power and cost performance.

More importantly, the success of the ID.3 shows us that there are still opportunities in the Chinese market if the joint venture brand NEVs are sincere, but it also depends on the specific products, such as the ID.4 and ID.6, which also have huge discounts, and the sales are still mediocre.

Wuling Xingguang

In 2023, the number of vehicles insured will be 10,200 units, and the best monthly sales will be 8,000 units

Explosive selling points: large space, low price, and a large car feeling, which is differentiated from Qin PLUS

Except for electric cars such as Hongguang MINI and Binguo, Wuling has not seen a hot-selling model in the mainstream category for a long time. As the first sedan of the Wuling brand, the Starlight, which has a minimum sales of 88,800, is directly aimed at BYD's hybrid car, the Qin PLUS DM-i.

Before Starlight, there have been many hybrid sedans targeting the Qin PLUS DM-i, but the sales volume is relatively average. For example, Changan Qiyuan's A05, size, configuration, battery life, price, etc. are strictly benchmarked, and after two months of listing, the monthly sales volume is only more than 2,000 units.

Geely Galaxy L6, on the other hand, has advantages in power, configuration, handling and other aspects, but the price is one or two thousand more expensive than Qin PLUS DM-i, and the sales volume is slightly better than that of Qiyuan A05, but the current monthly sales are only in the early 5000s.

Wuling Xingguang was launched on December 6, and the number of vehicles on the market exceeded 8,000 that month, and it is obvious that it will further break 10,000 momentum, which is the best performance of the hybrid family sedan in the past two years, except for Qin PLUS.

The core selling point of Starlight is that the size of the mid-size car is sold at a compact price, with a starting price of 88,800 yuan for the Qin PLUS entry version. And the design of Starlight is also more distinctive, especially the atmosphere of the interior, which is simple and refreshing, which is obviously different from the relatively traditional style of Qin PLUS DM-i.

In fact, the real volume of Starlight is not the low configuration of 88,800, but the high configuration of 105,800, the price difference of 17,000 yuan, and the endurance of 80 kilometers is more, reaching 150 kilometers. Other configuration upgrades are not obvious, only more car networking, one-key window lifting, etc. It shows that consumers with a budget of 100,000 still attach more importance to long battery life.

Of course, Starlight did not affect the status of Qin PLUS DM-i, but its emergence did bring a new choice to the 100,000-level hybrid family car market, which is significantly different from the style of Qin PLUS DM-i.

Equation Leopard Leopard 5

In 2023, 4,882 vehicles will be put on the market, and 4,373 units will be sold in December

Popular selling point: square box shape + BYD hybrid four-wheel drive, strong off-road ability, daily fuel saving

After talking about 3 sedans, let's take a look at an SUV, for a model within 400,000 yuan, the monthly sales of more than 4,000 units seem to be a hit, but for the first model of a new brand with a niche hard-core SUV, it can break 4,000 just after it is listed, which is already hot.

The success of Formula Leopard Leopard 5 depends on the technical strength of chassis, power, and four-wheel drive, as well as BYD's brand appeal.

For example, at the power level, the DMO architecture of the longitudinal engine is adopted, and the high-power motors with a total of 660 horsepower at the front and rear leave enough power reserve for acceleration and off-roading, and can also better take into account daily fuel consumption.

In terms of chassis, the Leopard 5 adopts a hard-core non-load-bearing body, with the "three locks" of central differential locks and front and rear axle differential locks, and the off-road configuration is full. However, instead of using the monolithic axle commonly used in hardcore off-road vehicles, it adopts double wishbone suspension at the front and rear, which can better balance the handling and comfort of road driving.

On this basis, the Leopard 5's comfort, car machine, intelligent driving and other commonly used configurations are basically as full as new energy vehicles at the same price. Coupled with very excellent sound insulation and noise reduction treatment, the space and comfort experience during daily driving are much stronger than those of traditional fuel hard-core SUVs.

Of course, for extreme off-road needs, the Leopard 5's electric four-wheel drive architecture has still been questioned and needs to be tested. But for the vast majority of potential customers, the Leopard 5's off-road ability is basically more than enough, and its comfort and handling advantages in the road environment are more meaningful for daily driving, which is one reason why its future sales can grow further.

Many of the models we have counted have just begun to make efforts, and in 2024, which has already begun, there are destined to be more surprises.