The "Daily Car News" column will bring you all kinds of fresh and hot new cars and industry information in the automotive industry, and you are welcome to continue to pay attention. Today's car news includes Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda continues to sing about pure electric vehicles, Porsche pure electric Macan released and launched overseas, the new Hyundai Shengda is listed in the United States, Tesla's market value evaporated by 575.2 billion yuan overnight, Geely LEVC L380 sample car rolls off the assembly line, NIO provides free service for high-speed battery swap stations during the Spring Festival holiday, and Honda's creative director mocks Chinese car design.
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda continues to sing the praises of electric vehicles
Tesla CEO Elon Musk sighed and was speechless
A few days ago, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda once again made negative remarks about electric vehicles, at a recent business event, Akio Toyoda said that "no matter how much progress is made in electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel vehicles will still account for 70% of market sales." This means that Akio Toyoda concludes that pure electric vehicles will only account for 30% of the overall sales of the future car market.
Akio Toyoda believes that the lack of charging infrastructure has made electric vehicles unavailable to about 1 billion people worldwide, so electric vehicles are unlikely to be accepted by everyone. He also stressed that Toyota's mission is to reduce carbon emissions, but it doesn't necessarily have to be converted to electric vehicles, and even complained that the media did not explain why electric vehicles are the best option for the future.
In this regard, Toyota said that the choice of powertrain is determined by customers and the market, rather than by regulators or the government. This is also why Toyota is promoting multiple power sources around the world.
Akio Toyoda's remarks quickly attracted the attention of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and he responded on his social media platforms, expressing sighs and speechlessness. Previously, Musk had warned that if traditional car companies did not quickly transition to electric vehicles, they would be eliminated, just as the film giant Kodak was abandoned by the digital age.
Comments: Judging from Akio Toyoda's remarks, he is undoubtedly cautious about the future of electric vehicles, and Toyota's transformation in the field of new energy is not smooth, so it is reasonable to sing the decline of pure electric vehicles. Of course, in the long run, the development of the electric vehicle market depends on a combination of factors, including technological progress, policy support, market demand, and infrastructure construction.
The all-electric Porsche Macan has been unveiled
The overseas price starts at about 578,000 yuan
On January 25, Porsche's all-new all-electric Macan debuted with two all-electric models, the Macan 4 and Macan Turbo, which will be officially launched at the 2024 Beijing Auto Show. In addition, customers who prepay the deposit and sign the purchase contract before May 31 will enjoy the "Early Bird Privilege" benefit for a limited time, including priority delivery, Legend/Dream/Shadow body color and other benefits.
In addition, the price of the pure electric Macan has been announced overseas, with the Macan 4 starting at US$80,450 (about 577,500 yuan) and the Macan Turbo starting at US$106,950 (about 767,700 yuan). At the same time, the new car also provides a very rich range of options, with a maximum price of up to US$56,340 (about RMB 404,400) after all options.
For reference, the current Porsche Macan is priced at 573,000-858,000 yuan in China, and starts at US$61,550 (about 441,900 yuan) in the U.S. market. If the current Porsche Macan is priced in China and the United States, the starting price of the pure electric Macan in China may be more than 700,000 yuan, but considering the involution of the domestic pure electric market, the actual price may be within 600,000 yuan.
The Porsche all-electric Macan is the second all-electric model after the Porsche Taycan, and the first model based on Porsche's latest 800 V architecture development platform PPE, equipped with the latest generation of dual permanent magnet synchronous motors, of which the Macan 4 model has a combined system power of 300 kW (408 hp), a peak torque of 650 Nm, 05.2 seconds, and a top speed of 220 km/h.
The Macan Turbo has a combined system power of 470 kW (639 hp) and a peak torque of 1,130 Nm, with an official acceleration time of 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 260 km/h. In addition, the new car is equipped with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) with electronic damping control, air suspension and rear-axle steering, with a maximum steering angle of 5 degrees and a turning diameter of just 11.1 metres.
In terms of battery, the all-electric Macan is equipped with a 100 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, of which the all-electric Macan 4 and Macan Turbo have an all-electric range of 613 km and 591 km respectively (WLTP combined). With an 800V fast charging station, the charging power can reach up to 270 kilowatts, and official data shows that it can charge from 10% to 80% in 21 minutes.
In terms of body size, the Porsche all-electric Macan is positioned as a mid-size electric SUV with a length, width and height of 4784/1938/1622 mm and a wheelbase of 2893 mm.
Inside, the all-electric Macan features Porsche's latest-generation display and operating concept, with a 12.6-inch curved full LCD instrument cluster and a 10.9-inch centre display, as well as an optional 10.9-inch front passenger entertainment screen, which can be used to view information, adjust infotainment settings or stream video.
Comments: Porsche's release of the all-new pure electric Macan will further fill the gap in the pure electric SUV market, enrich the product matrix, provide consumers with more choices, promote new sales growth of Porsche, and consolidate Porsche's brand image and market position. However, whether it will succeed depends on the final pricing.
The price of the all-new Hyundai Shengda has been announced in the United States
The starting price is about 243,600 yuan
A few days ago, Hyundai Motor announced the price of the all-new Hyundai Shengda in the United States, offering 2.5T models and 1.6T hybrid models, with prices starting at $33,950 (about 243,600 yuan). Previously, the all-new Shengda was unveiled at the 2023 Guangzhou Auto Show and is expected to be launched later this year. For reference, the price range of the current domestic Shengda is 202,800-269,800 yuan, and the whole system is equipped with a 2.0T engine.
In terms of appearance, the exterior and interior of the all-new Shengda have been redesigned, and even have nothing to do with the current Shengda. I have to convince that Korean cars are drastic every time they are replaced, never paying attention to inheritance, and relying on the imagination of designers. It is more like a new energy hard SUV, its square shape is similar to the style of the Land Rover Defender, the simple design of the front face and the through-type LED daytime running lights, the new energy flavor is very full.
With straight and stiff side lines, wide wheel arches, tight-spoke 21-inch wheels and a black roof rack, it's a hardcore off-road SUV, while the A-pillars are blacked out to create the illusion of a floating roof, making it a Land Rover.
The interior also has a Land Rover shadow in terms of color matching and layout, with mainstream dual-screen design, through-air conditioning vents, three-spoke multi-function steering wheel, and physical buttons in the center console area, as well as wireless charging for mobile phones.
In terms of power, the all-new Shengda launched in the United States is available with a 2.5T engine and a 1.6T hybrid system, of which the 2.5T engine has a maximum power of 282 horsepower and a maximum torque of 421 Nm, and the transmission system is mated to an 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and the 1.6T hybrid system has a combined power of 235 horsepower and a combined torque of 367 Nm, and the transmission system is matched with a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Comments: If it is launched in China in the future, it can continue the power system of the American version of the model, as well as the price of the current domestic model, then it is still quite competitive.
Geely LEVC L380 prototype rolled off the assembly line
Up to 8-seat layouts are available
A few days ago, it was learned from Geely officials that Geely LEVC's first pure electric MPV, the L380 prototype, has completed the production line. The new car is positioned as a medium and large MPV, based on the SOA architecture, and its name is derived from the Airbus A380 (the world's largest wide-body passenger aircraft), where L also stands for LEVC, Large, Luxury, and Link, while 3 and 8 represent the space layout of at least three seats and up to eight seats, respectively, and 0 represents zero-carbon travel.
In terms of appearance, the Geely LEVC L380 design concept is also inspired by the aerodynamic engineering design of the Airbus A380 large aircraft, integrating Eastern and Western styling aesthetics, and the overall style is more rounded and atmospheric. Among them, the front face style is similar to the ideal MEGA, and it has a bit of a "high-speed rail bullet" flavor, which is more about wind resistance to achieve better energy consumption and endurance performance. In addition, the new car also adopts a split headlight design, with through-type daytime LED running lights at the top and high and low beam light clusters at the bottom, which are integrated with the front surround for a stronger overall feeling.
On the side of the body, the Geely LEVC L380 styling integrates the aesthetics of the new era and the traditional MPV style, showing a more calm and atmospheric business style, with straight body lines and a black and white color matching design, creating a high-end and luxurious visual effect. Judging from the official pictures announced, the size of the new car is very large, the length of the car is expected to exceed 5 meters 2, plus the promotional words of the space layout of up to eight seats, and the wheelbase may exceed 3 meters 2, a proper behemoth.
The tail shape is very simple, with a through-type taillight design that is thick at both ends and thin in the middle, and it is expected to show a good visual effect when lit up at night. However, at present, the official has not disclosed the specific size, interior color, power and range of the new car.
Comments: With the official launch of the prototype, L380, as a century-old classic brand, will gradually seize the high-end pure electric MPV market with the advantages of high-end, electrification and spatialization, and start a new journey of LEVC's globalization strategy.
Tesla's market value evaporated by 575.2 billion yuan overnight
Musk is still the richest man in the world
On the evening of January 25, Tesla's share price fell sharply at the opening, and as of the close of local time on January 25, Tesla's share price was $182.63, down 12.13%, according to Tesla's market capitalization of $580.57 billion, equivalent to an overnight evaporation of $80.1 billion (about 575.2 billion yuan). What's more noteworthy is that after entering 2024, Tesla's stock price has fallen by 26.5%, with a cumulative loss of about 210 billion US dollars (about 1,508 billion yuan) in market value.
In response to the stock price decline, an overseas user posted on social platforms: "In the short term, Tesla's stock is just an interest rate call option. In the long run, Tesla stock is a call option on the future. In response, Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded: "That's pretty much it. It can be seen that Musk is still calm, after all, he is currently the richest person in the world, with a net worth of 204 billion US dollars (about 1,465 billion yuan).
In the past 2023, Tesla's total revenue will reach $96.773 billion, a year-on-year increase of 18.79%; GAAP net income was $15.0 billion, operating cash flow was $13.3 billion, R&D expenses were $3.969 billion, and 1.81 million electric vehicles were delivered worldwide.
Comments: Despite the collapse of Tesla's stock price, it is still the global leader in pure electric vehicles, and Tesla has achieved significant growth in terms of revenue, profit, cash flow, R&D expenses, production and sales, etc., and the development potential is still huge.
NIO officially announced that the high-speed battery swap station will be free of charge during the Spring Festival holiday
At present, there are 757 highway battery swap stations
On January 26, NIO officially announced that during the Spring Festival holiday from February 8 to February 18, 2024, high-speed battery swapping will be free of service fees (except for commercial vehicles). NIO said that the battery swap fee consists of basic electricity fees and service fees, of which the basic electricity fees are collected by local power companies, and NIO only collects them, while the service fees are used for the operation and maintenance of battery swap stations.
For users without rights, they can enjoy free national high-speed battery swap by paying only the basic electricity fee; for users with limited rights, they can freely choose to deduct or pay the basic electricity fee; for users with unlimited rights, they can directly use the rights and interests without paying the battery replacement fee.
As of January 25, NIO has deployed 2,345 battery swap stations across the country, including 757 highway battery swap stations, opening up a high-speed battery swap network in 11 major urban agglomerations with 7 verticals, 6 horizontals, and 3,654 charging stations, with a total of 21,328 charging piles, and more than 980,000 third-party charging piles.
Honda's creative director satirized the delicate but superficial design of Chinese cars
Honda wanted to come up with something simpler and more essential
According to foreign media reports, in an interview with "European Automotive News", Daisuke Tsutamori, creative director and general manager of Honda's electric vehicle design department, said frankly: "In China, you see a lot of further improvements in this styling style. But this is only superficial, delicate but superficial. Honda wanted to come up with something simpler and more essential. ”
And what Tsutamori calls "something simpler, more essential" refers to the concept EV unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year. The wedge-shaped concept car is unimaginarily called the "Saloon" and will launch a production version in North America in 2026.
However, foreign media said that the days when Chinese cars became the laughing stock of the automobile industry are gone. In recent years, the quality of China's automotive products has not only improved significantly, but also the design level has also improved a lot. It took them a long time to stop copying the global model and come up with something that didn't look like a duplicate.
Comments: When foreign brand designers discuss the design of Chinese cars in public, this has shown that the rise of China's automobile industry and the impact on the international market, especially the technology and design aspects have a greater impact on them, and they can only belittle or question the quality and design of Chinese cars through public opinion. (Text: Wu Qixing, Pacific Motor)