A few days ago, the latest batch of new car declaration drawings of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology were exposed, and if nothing else, they will be delivered in the second half of the year.
In addition to the popular new flagship Z9 GT of Denza, the new flagship C16 of Leapmotor, and the hunting version of Nezha S, there are two other cars that have attracted the attention of the president.
One is the Tank 500 Hi4-Z, which upgrades the pure electric range from 120 km to 201 km, and the other is the Buick GL8, which was released a few days later and adds a plug-in hybrid and a gasoline-electric hybrid.
The actual operation of these two vehicles proves that for the "big guys" who are born with high fuel consumption, embracing electrification has become almost the optimal solution.
What's more, judging from the new energy penetration rate of more than 50% in the first half of April, those who are still buying oil cars this year are really already a minority!
Under the general trend of new energy, the internal combustion engine, one of the core competitiveness of car companies in the past, has also changed the core position of the drive vehicle, and has become the energy source of the battery, which has played an auxiliary role in the drive motor.
However, from the perspective of product strength, the Buick GL8 after the "electric shock" can only be said to make up for the shortcomings of fuel vehicles. On the plug-in side, there are VOYAH Dreamer and Denza D9, and on the pure electric side, there are Xpeng X9 and Ideal MEGA, both of which are ruthless characters.
The Buick GL8, which is facing a double attack, is still unknown whether it can win the competition with Chinese brands in the future.
01. Only with advanced technology can we have a good experience?
The reason why the Buick GL8 is going to be electrified is that the decline in sales is only a symptom. The deeper reason is that the "electrified" MPV experience is really much stronger than that of fuel vehicles.
(The former king will not transform again, and he will really change from a monthly sales of 20,000 to no one cares)
For example, when you need to park in place for family pick-up and drop-off, business reception, etc., you should first realize the freedom of air conditioning:
Compared with the traditional fuel MPV that costs more than 10 yuan an hour, the plug-in hybrid model with only 1-3 kWh of electricity per hour is very friendly, and there is no need to endure the noise and exhaust caused by the engine.
This brings us to the second advantage of electrification – lower cost of ownership.
In most cases, MPVs either go to and from the airport high-speed rail station, or shuttle through the city, which is very fuel-intensive in stop-and-go, and the fuel consumption is often more than a dozen.
But the hybrid is different, with the blessing of the motor, it can even run at a lower level than the nominal, and it can be charged by the way when waiting for someone, and the actual cost of the car is even less than half of the fuel MPV.
If there is a 1 cent 1 kilometer home charging pile......
There is also a pain point of traditional fuel MPVs, that is, they are noisy and meaty, and they can't leave.
Don't look at the fact that there will always be a GL8 on the highway that is faster than you, but almost no one wants to sit in it except for drivers in a hurry.
Some time ago, when I was on a business trip, I happened to hit a 2.0T fuel version GL8. It's no exaggeration to say that even when I close my eyes while wearing noise-cancelling headphones, I can feel how deep the driver's right foot is stepping when overtaking.
At that time, I was thinking, how nice it would be if this was a plug-in hybrid...... The quiet "buzz" of the motor is much better than the "hum" of the engine.
(The old GL8 cruises at 120 per hour, and the engine is almost 2500 rpm)
Since the MPV "electric shock" can be so fragrant, how does the Buick GL8 plug-in hybrid version perform?
If Volkswagen and Nissan have been "minor repairs" on the basis of fuel vehicles in recent years, then the changes to the Buick GL8 this time can be regarded as "drastic".
Judging from the public information, the plug-in hybrid version uses a combination of 1.5T + P1P3 motor + 24.4kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, with a maximum comprehensive power of 292kW system, WLTC fuel consumption of 6.97L/100km, pure electric range of 108km, and CLTC comprehensive range of 1370km:
Regardless of the parameters, it is a qualitative leap compared to the petrol version of the GL8.
(The calculation standard of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is WLTC)
If you want to understand the secret of hybrid architecture and understand the difference between various hybrids, you can poke the president's long popular science article: Which one is stronger in hybrid technology?
But if from the perspective of technical level, the GL8 plug-in hybrid version is really not as good as the Chinese brand, and there is even a big gap!
Take the VOYAH Dreamer, which also appears in the table, as an example, the WLTC pure electric range, which is an indicator of whether the electrification is thorough, its 184km is indeed much more than the 108km of the Buick GL8, and it is also the first in this class.
And the gap between the two numbers is even bigger than imagined.
Friends who have driven PHEV models know that this kind of big car often needs to leave about 20km of power to ensure that there is an acceleration level close to that of a full charge in the state of power loss, and the engine will be started and the battery will be charged when the power is low.
In this way, the difference between the two is almost doubled, and the cost of burning oil and charging will also be quite different.
A larger battery can also bring a stronger continuous discharge ability, which means that there will be no electric dragon and no electric worm, and it can drive 310kW dual motors and 420kW total output power.
Although few people will really achieve 000 acceleration in 5.9 seconds, especially when driving an MPV. However, the ability to get out of trouble and the stability of the body of the electric four-wheel drive are what many people really need. I believe that the friends who drive out after driving out in the rain and snow will have a deep understanding of this.
Of course, the increase in pure electric range is not all good. A larger battery pack will make the vehicle heavier (260kg vs 188kg) and fuel consumption will increase.
In order to solve the problem of high fuel consumption, in addition to using aluminum alloy in the chassis and body to reduce weight, and to steal light in the structure, there is another method that is easier said and difficult to do - engage in (start) engine!
Speaking of which, we have to come up with a graph of the thermal efficiency curve of the engine. Let me explain it to you briefly:
The high-efficiency interval seems to be very beautiful, but it is often a working condition of "two or three thousand rpm acceleration", which is difficult to use in daily life (even if it is used, it will gradually increase the speed of the vehicle and get out of the high-efficiency zone), and the engine efficiency of the commonly used interval is actually not high.
This is also the reason why a hybrid is definitely more fuel-efficient than a fuel car.
And if you want to further improve on this basis, you can only start from two places.
The first is to expand the area of the high-efficiency interval and maintain the operation in the high-efficiency interval as much as possible. Many HEV models from Japanese Toyota and Honda, as well as PHEV models derived from larger batteries, are typical examples.
The second is to increase the maximum efficiency point while expanding the area, and maintain the operation at that highest point as much as possible. Chinese brands that focus on engine thermal efficiency (advertised thermal efficiency > 43%) basically fall into this category.
It is precisely because of the industry's highest thermal efficiency of 45.18% that the WLTC fuel consumption (6.9L/100km) of the VOYAH Dreamer is still better than that of the Buick GL8 plug-in hybrid version under the unfavorable condition that the vehicle weight lags behind by more than 200kg.
In comparison, the Toyota Alpha HEV, which uses the latest generation of hybrid technology (2310kg curb weight is similar to the Buick GL8 plug-in hybrid version), has a WLTC fuel consumption of 6.3L/100km.
This also means that the engine efficiency of Chinese brands has now caught up with Europe and the United States, and perhaps only the long-cultivated Japanese system is qualified to fight. Coupled with the pure electric range and first-class platform technology brought by large batteries, China's hybrid technology has gone to the top of the world.
02. Is the new energy MPV safe or not?
However, the biggest disadvantage of Buick GL8 is not only that the hybrid system is not good enough, but that the shortcomings of "oil to electricity" are difficult to make up for through design in the later stage.
When this generation of GL8 was first launched, China Insurance Research Institute bought a low-profile car of the 2017 model year for testing. The result was a big surprise: the same A-pillar as the 2019 Passat was bent, the airbag couldn't catch the face, and in the end it only got an M (average) evaluation.
Until now, one of the main reasons why many family users are afraid to buy Buick GL8 and turn to buy Toyota Sena is because Sena's evaluation is G (excellent), and they don't want their family and friends to bear even the slightest risk.
Even if the rating of the 2022 GL8 has changed from M to A (good) after a lapse of 3 years, it can be seen that a wide range of reinforcements have been made in the AB pillar, front impact beam, etc., and it is difficult to change everyone's stereotype of GL8.
After upgrading the hybrid system this time, the Buick GL8 has also been strengthened for the body frame. Judging from the body-in-white circulating on the Internet, the proportion of hot-stamping steel in the dark part has been increased, which is also reflected in the curb weight.
The president guessed that it was to prepare for a more difficult crash test. (From July 1, 2024, C-NCAP's 100% frontal collision speed will be increased from 50 to 55, and the side-impact speed will also be increased from 50 to 60)
However, in terms of safety, "oil to electricity" is still not as advantageous as the original electric architecture, and there is still a big gap.
On the one hand, the strength of the electric structure is several orders of magnitude higher than that of gasoline vehicles, because the electric architecture needs to take into account the fact that the battery pack is not squeezed, and on the other hand, the innate rather than acquired structural design can also reasonably distribute the force to ensure the safety of the passenger compartment.
For example, ZEEKR 009 once became famous for "tearing the tail plate of a truck with an A-pillar", and the VOYAH Dreamer, who is famous for its hard body, also protected the safety of the owner in a cliff overturning accident of more than 30 meters.
From the official certification, the VOYAH Dreamer is also the only Chinese new energy MPV that has received a five-star C-NCAP evaluation, and the score rate has even equaled that of many SUVs:
Such a performance is due to the large number of 2000Mpa hot model steel used in its skeleton.
You must know that Volvo, which is known for its safety, has only 1600Mpa of boron steel, 1000Mpa for nuclear submarines, and it is said that the strength of the J-20 landing gear is only 1780Mpa......
Moreover, the VOYAH Dreamer has also innovated in structure, making the world's first "door frame" and anti-collision beam with a strength of 2000MPa, which is equivalent to enclosing the entire cockpit and can withstand the top pressure strength of 140kN.
03. Chase a higher starting point
Now that the foundation of power and safety has been laid, the next step is to pursue a "comfortable car experience".
At this point, perhaps the more senior traditional brands have the right to speak first.
Pneumatic tires, car air conditioning, car stereos, and even four-wheel drive systems and air suspension are commonplace today...... They are all explored step by step by traditional brands in the process of development, and their understanding of the so-called luxury is also more profound.
Buick GL8 plug-in hybrid version, is the first to launch a higher-end Luzun series, but also use the same cockpit design of the Buick Century, "refrigerator, color TV, large sofa" are also equipped.
To put it simply and crudely, that is, if you want to do work, I will pile up the work, and if you want to use materials, I will pile up materials, and first fill the atmosphere and then talk about it.
But in 2024, "car experience" has become the strength of Chinese brands.
With the support of a large market and user base, the product receives a variety of feedback, including a few pertinent modifications, and the flat organizational structure of the car company makes the feedback-analysis-execution process extremely efficient.
I've talked to product managers at many brands, and there are three main things they do most often:
On the premise of controlling costs, we put our own advanced technology into the car, go deep into users before and after the market to find new needs, and contact the engineering department for improvement.
The VOYAH Dreamer is a typical example of this.
The plug-in hybrid MPV is too heavy, and driving is like driving a boat.
If you don't feel comfortable enough, change the software algorithm to make the suspension damping soft and hard intelligently adjusted;
Think the control is not good, add money, front double wishbone + rear five-link all-aluminum chassis, no one I have;
The front camera pre-scans the road conditions and realizes the "active magic carpet" function.
Product manager's inner OS: You can't find fault with me again this time, right?!
In fact, when the VOYAH Dreamer was first launched in 2022, some users complained that "the configuration is not rich enough", the interior plastic is a little heavy, and it is not quiet enough. But these problems were solved one by one after the facelift of the new VOYAH Dreamer.
The first and second rows of seats have been upgraded to "full matching", the interior is covered with imitation suede, and the second-row electric slide rails, the third-row backrest angle adjustment, and soundproof privacy glass have also been added.
Even the hybrid system I just talked about is the result of a round of comprehensive upgrades in power, energy consumption, and pure electric range.
I think this pursuit of a higher starting point is one of the reasons why Chinese brands can beat joint venture brands.
04. Write at the end
In addition to the weekly penetration rate of new energy exceeding 50% for the first time, what is even more gratifying to the president is that under the general trend of new energy, the market share of Chinese brands will occupy half of the country for the first time in 2023, regaining the dominant position.
In other words, the brand advantage of joint venture models is being erased by time.
The reason behind this is not that many people say that "joint venture cars do not want to forge ahead", on the contrary, they are really trying to chase. It's just that the speed of technological progress of Chinese brands is too fast, so fast that it has forced the transformation of joint venture brands.
Buick GL8 plug-in hybrid system, the United States is not used; the latest generation of Toyota Camry, actually used Huawei's HiCar; even Volkswagen gave up its own CARIAD, turned its head and Xiaopeng launched in-depth cooperation in the field of electronic and electrical architecture.
It is precisely in the wave of electrification that a number of Chinese brands represented by VOYAH, Huawei and Xpeng have emerged, bringing a little Chinese shock to global automotive technology in the form of competition or cooperation.
Chinese brands are also leading new trends and trends with their technological strength and car experience.